


Choices

by Haruka_S_Knight



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga), Sailor Moon A
Genre: Alternate Universe, Death, Drug Abuse, Drug Use, F/F, Family Drama, Gen, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:41:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 41,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27624224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haruka_S_Knight/pseuds/Haruka_S_Knight
Summary: This is an AU tale centered around Haruka and Michiru.An arranged marriage between the Kaiou and Tenoh families presents the Kaious with an unusual choice between the Tenoh "sons". Doctor Hiroshi Tenoh is less than trilled to have his "brother", race car driver, Haruka Tenoh home. It's all about choices, mostly those which aren't in their hands... Please read and review.
Relationships: Kaiou Michiru/Tenoh Haruka
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally written and posted from February 2007 through November 2007 on fanfiction.net. I left it unfinished but am now completing it at reviewer request. Chapters 1 through 9 have had minor edits, 10 and after is new content.

Choices:  
By: Haruka S. Knight  
Chapter one  
Introduction:

A tall blonde pulled a shining, golden convertible up in front of the Tokyo mansion with a sigh. From the outside the beautiful, expensive home appeared tranquil and quiet. In reality, things inside the mansion had been tense for a long time. The blonde had enjoyed the escape allowed by her private apartment and her career. Teal eyes looked up and noticed the figure standing in a third story window glaring down at her.

"It's nice to see you too, big brother." She muttered as she grabbed her small duffle bag and climbed from the driver's seat. A lot of clothes weren't necessary even if she ended up staying long, her grandmother always made sure the closet of her old room was kept ready for her return and failing that she had been encouraged to raid her father's old clothes. The later was a bit on the creepy side, but she knew it was just her grandmother's excuse to hang on to one more bit of the son she had lost.

"Welcome back, Haruka-san." A stiff butler greeted her as he pulled the door open, though she caught the smallest hint of a smile on the man's face. He was older, around her father's age and had been at his current job for longer than the blonde could remember.

"Thank you, Ichiro-san." Haruka stepped inside and paused, taking in the mansion's front hall and the conflicting memories that came with it. She shook it off and focused on the moment again, and the figure approaching her. Her grandmother, Maiko Tenoh, looked somewhat frailer than she remembered but Haruka still had the respect to bow to the woman.

"Welcome back Haruka." Her grandmother waved a hand toward the stairs and a tight smile crossed her lips. "It's getting late and your room is ready. I'll explain why you're here tomorrow."

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At Tokyo international a young woman was gracefully walking across a boarding ramp, disembarking from her long plane flight. In one hand she carried a leather covered case, the name Michiru Kaiou was pressed into the leather. Her dress was deep blue, much like the color of her own eyes, and her aqua hair was down draping just over her shoulders. Eyes seemed to turn to her from all corners of the terminal as she strode toward baggage claim.

The young, world renowned, violin player paused a few times to politely sign a few autographs. On the other hand, she ignored or politely turned down offers for dates and requests for her number. All in all, she made it to baggage claim without real incident only to find her parents limo driver already pulling the last of her luggage onto a cart.

"Michiru-sama." The slightly older man bowed, tipping his hat at the same time. "I'm glad you've arrived safely miss. How was your plane flight?"

"Long and tiring." Michiru sighed as he started to push the cart, leading her toward the airport doors. She caught sight of a few camera men and grimaced. "How do they already know I'm here?"

"Your parents called them miss." The limo driver paused when Michiru halted. He pitied the young woman, knowing all too well that she would probably just like a good night's sleep at this hour. After a moment he cleared his throat and nodded toward a side door labeled emergency exit.

"I think I need to freshen up." Michiru smiled as she realized what the man was suggesting. She really was not one for causing scenes, but if she was choosing between a media circus and breaking a little rule about exit doors, she knew which she'd choose. "Can you take the bags to the car and load them for me?"

"Of course, miss." The man returned her smile as he accepted her prized violin. "It won't take me more than five minutes."

Michiru walked off to the women's restroom, taking as long as she could to wash her face and reapply her make up. She almost cursed herself for not having put on a watch this morning before her trip, but she did not see the point with the number of time zones she had to cross. Satisfied with her reflection, and that she had wasted a large amount of time, she gracefully left the restroom.

It happened the restrooms were only ten feet from the door her parents' limo driver had indicated, so no one seemed to notice her destination. Or they did not until Michiru pushed the door open and an alarm sounded inside the baggage claim area. She walked through, allowing the door to swing closed behind her and walking quickly to the waiting limo. She stepped in through the door being held open for her and nodded to the man before he calmly shut it.

The last thing she noticed as they were pulling away from Tokyo international was a group of reporters rounding the building corner. She settled back into the comfortable seat of the limo as classical music began to float through the speakers and sighed. She still had no idea why her parents had been so insistent she return to Tokyo, but it was too late at night to worry about that now. Instead she rested her eyes and just enjoyed the calm before the storm.

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Published 2007  
Edited November 2020


	2. Brothers

Chapter Two: Brothers

Hiroshi Tenoh may once have been a happy child, even during a time when his father had been a heavy drinker the boy had his mother. That worked, until he was four years old and his mother started to feel sick each morning. Young Hiroshi did not understand why exactly his father seemed to suddenly start getting help with his drinking, or why his parents did not argue as much as they had before. All he knew was that nine months down the road his father brought home a baby girl and his mother had to spend loads of time in the hospital.

Things changed radically for the young boy, he even found himself suddenly enrolled in preschool and that neither of his parents seemed to have much time for him. To spite this, he still initially loved to be around the blonde wobbly little girl with her teal eyes shining at him. In fact, it was hard to pinpoint when that had changed. Maybe it was when Hiroshi got older and began to realize that his sister's delivery contributed to their mother's death, or the fact that when it was time for her to start school Haruka was home schooled for a number of years.

Whatever the reason, the young doctor now glared toward the young woman across the living room. He had humored his grandmother and stayed home this afternoon, knowing well what he may lose if he did not, but he hated having to be around his younger "brother". It always seemed that the blonde was given what she wanted, somehow things always seemed to work out for her. Or maybe it was that she seemed to refuse to fail, other than one slip in morals Haruka did not seem human. Hiroshi knew though, he knew the one thing she hid more closely than her gender and why.

"Hiroshi, Haruka, I want you both to be as nice as possible to the Kaiou family." Their Grandmother addressed the two Tenoh heirs. Maiko's gray eyes were stern as she shook a finger toward her grandchildren. "The Kaiou Family has invested a lot of money in the hospital your grandfather started and a marriage between our families would ensure our family keeps a controlling share."

"So, this is all over money and property?" Haruka voiced what both siblings were thinking, though Hiroshi was more eager inside his mind then the young racer sounded. He fixed his brown eyes on the tom-boy, noting if anything that she looked more masculine since she had moved out of their family home.

"No, the Kaious were good friends to this family before you were born. Hiroshi used to play with their nephew before your mother died." Maiko stood and straightened her kimono as the doorbell chimed. "Remember, I want you on your best behavior until their visit is over."

"And when will that be?" Hiroshi muttered as he stood and tugged at his tie.

"It will be over whenever they feel like leaving, young man." Maiko glared at her grandson before shuffling into the front hall, her grandchildren not far behind. Ichiro was greeting two people as bright sunlight flooded into the front hall blinding the three Tenohs for a few moments. Hiroshi blinked and raised a hand to shield his eyes so he could get his first look at the Kaiou family.

'This is going to be easy.' He thought to himself as he smiled toward the older couple on the doorstep.

"Suguru-kun, Saki-chan! It's so good to see you two again!" Haruka listened to her grandmother speak to the two as if they were still so young. For their part, the two smiled and bowed politely to the older woman.

"It's our honor to be here, Tenoh-sama." The man spoke as he bowed, deep blue eyes twinkling happily toward Maiko. His dark hair had a shot of gray in it and there was a line or two on his face but all in all Suguru Kaiou looked younger than Haruka expected.

"It's been too long, Tenoh-sama." Saki Kaiou spoke as she too bowed. Her brown eyes were more serious than her husband’s, even as her red kimono seemed more festive than his gray business suit. Her hair, which draped to nearly her mid back, was almost as dark as her husbands, though there was not a hint of gray in her locks. "And who are these two fine young men?"

"May I present my grandsons? I believe you've already met Hiroshi." Maiko first waved Hiroshi forward as the darker Tenoh bowed toward the two. "He's a doctor at Tenchi and I let him sit in at the last board meeting."

"Yes. Good to see you again Hiroshi-san." Saki spoke as Suguru seemed to size the older Tenoh heir up visually. Hiroshi had taken to cropping his hair close to his scalp and shaving every morning. He wore a slightly wrinkled, though expensive, suit which was black and seemed to easily present the image of a somewhat tired young doctor. The only problem, Haruka mentally assessed, was that Hiroshi looked older than he actually was.

"And this is Haruka. He has been away for some time on business." Maiko waved Haruka forward and she could already see gears cranking in the Kaious' minds. One son looks too old while the other seems much younger, Haruka thought as she bowed. Not that it mattered to the blonde; she was only here to make the family look unified for their guests.

"This is little Haruka-kun?" Suguru voiced the statement in a surprised tone as he stepped forward and eyed the young blonde. Haruka brought her teal eyes up and noticed Suguru was level with her, landing him just an inch shorter than Hiroshi. The man smiled at her in a way that reminded the blonde of her late father. "To have heard your father talk about you I'd have thought you were still a little boy. What business are you in?"

"I race professionally." Haruka answered honestly and saw the same look she had received from her grandmother that first time. It was not precisely disapproving so much as disbelieving. Why would the heir to a fortune want to risk life and limb in such a field? Most people saw Hiroshi's career as the far more sensible choice.

"You race cars?" Saki asked, her tone having lost its cool in her own moment of shock.

"I started with dirt bikes and motor cross racing, I'm a five-time champion on my motorcycle." Haruka could swear she could hear her grandmother's oncoming lecture already. "However, this past season was my rookie year behind the wheel of a professional car. I have a few Tokyo based sponsors now."

"Haruka is being modest." Maiko said in a tone filled with pride, she caught both her grandchildren off guard with her next words. "He finished his rookie year as a first-time champion and I'm sure he has been fighting off sponsors from all over the world."

"Well, that's a bit dangerous." Suguru commented with a laugh. Haruka nodded absently as Maiko asked where their daughter was. The two replied calmly, being led further in the house even as the blonde slipped toward the door. In front of the steps was a polished black limo and a young woman seemed to be fighting with something in the trunk as the driver apologized again and again.

"Is something wrong?" Haruka asked, walking up behind the two and causing them both to jump. The driver and the young woman both turned to her and Haruka found herself frozen in place for a moment. The young woman before her looked to be 5'4" with a set of deep blue eyes, aqua hair cascaded lightly over her shoulders and she wore an intricately decorated blue and gold kimono. The blonde bit her tongue and suppressed the urge to let her eyes rove across the young woman's figure.

"I'm sorry, Tenoh-san." The driver seemed to be guessing; of course, it was a safe bet as Haruka was wearing a blue Italian suit with gold cuff links and a golden Rolex on her wrist. Most people, she doubted, would mistake her for the butler currently. "I'm afraid we seem to have buried Kaiou-sama's violin case."

"Well, why don't I help you lift this luggage off of it then?" Haruka smiled and bowed formally toward the beautiful young woman before her. She might just enjoy what seemed like a family duty if it meant getting to know the young woman. "I'm Haruka Tenoh."

"Michiru Kaiou, and I think you already met my parents." The young woman replied, smiling politely toward the blonde before stepping back. She watched as Haruka and the limo driver easily lifted several pieces of heavy luggage from the trunk in search of the priceless Stradivarius her mother had insisted on placing there. She winced at the horrible images of what could have happened to her violin.

"I think we've got it." Haruka said, glancing over her shoulder and forcing a smile for the other young woman. She waved Michiru forward and gestured toward the trunk, where a leather covered violin case had safely wedged itself into the place where a spare tire once set. "It seems to be intact."

"Thank you, Tenoh-san." Michiru said as she was handed her precious violin. Again, the blonde smiled and bowed politely.

"Please call me Haruka; there are too many Tenohs inside Miss Kaiou." Haruka said reverting to the more western style speech she seemed to favor.

"Thank you Haruka-san and you can call me Michiru."

"Master Haruka!" They both looked up to find Ichiro standing halfway down the steps and approaching them. "Your grandmother is looking for you. Lunch is ready and she wants everyone to eat in the dining hall today."

"Thank you, Ichiro-san." Haruka looked again to the young woman next to her and offered her arm. "May I escort you, Michiru-san?"

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Hiroshi glanced up from his conversation with Suguru as Haruka entered, and he would have ignored her entrance completely if not for the young woman on her arm. Maiko seemed pleased as Haruka politely led Michiru to the table and pulled out a chair for the young woman, she looked back toward Hiroshi and her words echoed in the man's mind again. The twenty-seven-year-old doctor was not worried though, after all Suguru and Saki seemed greatly interested in what he had to say.

Michiru was happy when lunch and the day in general, were over. She mulled over her fate and any possible escape as she stepped from her guest room's shower. She pulled on a robe and felt a headache coming on as she relived this morning in her mind. She'd thought that her parents were joking at first, but it soon was clear they were dead serious about this whole issue.

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Flash back:

"What do you mean I'm engaged?" Michiru stood and looked straight into her mother’s brown eyes with indignation. "When did this happen?"

"It was agreed before you were even conceived." Saki replied as if it was a natural detail the young woman should have expected to face someday. "This marriage would benefit both families, besides which your father and I have known the Tenoh family since before we were married."

"Tenoh?"

"The family which founded and owns the controlling share of Tenchi Hospital in Tokyo." Suguru provided as he saw his daughter seemed more confused. He sighed and waved to her chair, knowing that if he let it go his wife and daughter could continue to argue this all day. "Sit down hime."

"Why didn't I know this?" Michiru asked, her blue eyes looking to her father's. He had always been far calmer as a parent than her mother had.

"We didn't see a need to say anything until you started dating, when you never brought anyone home it must have just slipped our notice." Suguru looked at his wife as she took her seat again and returned to drinking her tea. "Things were so hectic around the time you were born, and after a while the Tenohs seemed to almost pull into their own world. It's been years but we used to visit their home on holidays."

"So why is this coming up now?" Michiru said, shaking off the new information and turning toward her current predicament.

"We'd agreed that our children would marry on your twenty-second birthday." Saki smiled, thinking perhaps her daughter had seen reason. "When Tenoh-sama and I spoke, she reminded me that we may need to visit for more than one reason."

"Tenoh-sama has two grandsons, one of which is a doctor at Tenchi Hospital." Suguru took a drink of his coffee and sighed. "When the idea was agreed there was only one, but now we know nothing about the brothers aside from Hiroshi Tenoh's career field. Haruka-kun, however, we've never even laid eyes on."

"So, I'm engaged but no one decided to which brother?" Michiru wanted to scream as her mother smiled at her. "Isn't this tradition outdated?"

"Regardless of your views young lady, we gave our word, and you'll marry either Haruka or Hiroshi." Saki's tone left no room for argument as she stood. "We are leaving today to spend some time with the Tenoh family so your father and I can choose which one is best for you. If you think it is outdated, then you can change it with your children."

End flashback:

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Michiru was brought from that flashback by the sound of a soft thump in the hall. She walked over and eased her door open a crack, noticing how dark the hall was and seeing two figures standing in the dark. She listened and started to pick up on the quiet conversation.

"Why did you even bother to come? I sure as hell don't need you here." The first voice sounded angry.

"Grandma called me and asked me to come; I'm not here to cause any problems Hiroshi." That was Haruka, Michiru was oddly sure of it.

"Drop the good guy act Haru-chan, I know you're here to win her over." Hiroshi growled back.

"Win who over, Grandma?" Haruka, whom Michiru realized was the slightly shorter figure, backed away a little. "How many times do I have to tell you I don't want the hospital? Hiro all I want to do is race."

"Yeah, and we both know what Haruka wants Haruka gets." Hiroshi snapped back stepping closer again to the younger Tenoh. "Just like you got to go to whatever school you wanted, and Dad paid extra to get you motorcycle lessons. Just like you got to go study abroad while Grandma told Dad I should stay here in Tokyo. But no, little Haru got to travel and do whatever. Why don't they ever treat you like they treat me?"

"Hiro."

"Shut it!" Hiroshi turned away from his sibling and growled. "Perfect little Haru and your perfect little life. Just stay the hell out of mine! You wouldn't get spoiled like this if our mother were around."

"You think Mom would agree with what you've been doing?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come off it Hiro, I know what the hell you're doing. I knew in high school, hell you showed me, and I know you still are."

"I'm not like that anymore!" Hiroshi got a bit too loud, so he turned back toward Haruka and got into the blonde's face. His voice dropped so low that Michiru strained to hear. "One little mistake and you all throw it in my face, never let me live anything down. You're not so perfect either you know."

"I never said I was."

"Then admit to the things you've done!"

"This isn't getting anywhere, leave me alone." Haruka started past Hiroshi but the older brother grabbed Haruka's arms and glared.

"I'm still your older brother you ungrateful little liar."

"Hiroshi get your hands off me before I get pissed." Haruka's voice finally seemed to be getting beyond frustrated and for an unknown reason Hiroshi relented. He stalked off and a door was heard shutting down the hall.

Michiru shut her door as silently as possible and quietly exhaled a sigh of relief, she was sure neither Tenoh meant for that to be overheard. With that in mind she nearly jumped out of her skin when there was a light tap on the door she had started to lean against. The violin player felt almost like she'd walked into one of those teen horror flicks and she was about to confront the killer. With that in mind she slowly turned and edged the door open, not expecting the set of teal eyes to be as close as they were.

Haruka managed to get a hand over Michiru's lips before the scream could escape her. The blonde was a bit worried someone had heard so she backed the violin player into the guest room and kicked the door lightly shut, seeing blue eyes go even wider. Haruka had to think for a moment before she realized how bad this must look to the young woman before her.

"Oh! I'm sorry Michiru-san." Haruka released the young woman and backed away, bowing as blue eyes took in the leather biker gear she wore. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright, how did you even know I was awake?" Michiru asked, doing her best to play innocent as the blonde eyed her.

"Hiroshi didn't see you but I spotted the little slip of light from your door." Haruka blushed very lightly as she realized that Michiru was not wearing anything but a robe. "I only wanted to apologize for what you saw; we don't normally treat our guests to family disputes."

"And that couldn't wait until morning when I was dressed?" Michiru teased playfully, not totally sure why she seemed to like the blonde's company. Something about Haruka seemed to amuse her, maybe the fact that the blonde had her parents completely fooled. Michiru was not sure why, but no one else seemed to notice the blonde was female, so for now she was playing along.

"Well, I didn't realize, I mean." Haruka stumbled over her words for the first time since the two met that morning. She felt a bit flustered by the woman before her and she was not sure if she should take the comment as a rebuke, flirting or a joke. She opted for the last and forced a smirk. "Not that I do not enjoy the view Michiru-san, but I didn't plan on walking in on you after a shower. Gomen."

"Apology accepted Haruka-san, but why are you still up?"

"Just going out for a late-night ride." Haruka sighed. "I have a bit of trouble sleeping around here sometimes."

"Well be careful." Michiru said, verbally dismissing the blonde even as Haruka started to turn away. The blonde paused and could not fight her habit of flirting, before she opened the door she looked back to the blue-eyed woman.

"If you'd ever like to join me for a ride, just let me know." With that the blonde disappeared back into the hall and shut the door. Michiru smiled and went back to getting ready for bed. Maybe, if Haruka was as nice as she seemed, the blonde could help her find a way out of this mess.

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Published 2007  
Edited November 2020


	3. Morning People

Chapter 3: Morning People

Haruka quietly opened and closed the door, doing her best to be silent in the dim early morning light. The blonde's brightly colored leather jacket was unzipped now, blue black and white leather restricting her movements a little as she breathed a sigh of relief, teal eyes still on the now locked kitchen door.

"I suppose it's too much to expect the two of you to behave for such a short time." Maiko's voice broke the silence in a stern and very irate tone. Haruka, her grandmother swore, jumped nearly two feet as she spun to face the elder Tenoh.

"Good morning Grandma." Haruka smiled uneasily and bowed, lamenting that her stealth was hurting from living alone.

"Good night Haruka." Maiko's gray eyes glared pointedly at her granddaughter and the blonde sighed in defeat.

"Good night." Haruka turned from the storm waiting in her grandmother's eyes to face the door leading to the hall. She paused when her grandmother called her name lightly and looked back. The older woman shook her head, clearly at a loss for what to do about her grandchildren.

"What is it about nighttime that attracts you two so much?" Maiko waved away whatever response Haruka had been about to speak and turned back to her bowl of cereal. "Never mind, I have a doctor's appointment this morning and I don't need you raising my blood pressure. Bed, now young lady."

Haruka stepped into the hall and nearly walked right into Michiru, catching the violin player as she started to fall backward. Haruka felt herself pause, years of hiding her gender left it as a natural act but now she felt ice settle in her veins for a split second.

"I'm sorry Michiru-san. Are you okay?" Haruka stabilized the shorter woman and sighed as she was met with a bright smile. The blonde forgot the ice in her veins and looked off toward the nearby staircase. "Why are you down here so early?"

"I heard voices and was wondering who was awake." Michiru shrugged at the odd look this earned her and waved a hand toward a nearby portrait of the Tenoh family just after Haruka's birth. "I woke early so I came down to look at some of the paintings."

"Well, trust me when I say Miss Kaiou that you do not want to disturb my Grandmother before breakfast." Haruka had dropped her voice to a whisper, guiding Michiru back toward the staircase and throwing her a conspiratorial smirk. "We Tenohs are nearly famous for our lack of being morning people, though Grandma tries to deny it."

"You seem to be in a good mood Haruka-san." Michiru commented to the blonde as Haruka led her back to her room. She did not realize the blonde had been gently holding her arm until Haruka let her hand fall away. The violin player turned and fully faced the blonde, blue eyes sliding up and down the racer once before she smiled and shook her head at the blonde. "You haven't slept at all have you?"

"I am a creature of the night; you'd better be careful around me Michiru-san." Haruka smirked and turned away, walking off toward a seeming dead end in the hallway.

"I think we may have a few things in common." Michiru said lightly, turning toward her own door and opening it. She walked in and had just shut the door, wondering mildly where Haruka had been walking, when she heard a soft thud sound followed by a creak and a second thud. Michiru swung her room's door open again but found that the tall blonde had disappeared completely.

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Hiroshi Tenoh yawned as he trudged down to breakfast some two hours later. The dark-haired young man would much rather still be in bed had Ichiro not come in and threatened to dump in entire bucket of cold water over his head. Hiroshi cursed the man mentally, tugging at the fresh though slightly wrinkled shirt he wore. Normally he did not change just for breakfast, but he had to win over the Kaiou family somehow. With a sigh he entered the dining room and plopped down in the first chair he found.

"Forgot to shave?" Suguru commented, his smile suggesting it was a good-natured tease toward the younger man. Hiroshi winced and rubbed his jaw with another mental curse. Suguru took a sip of his coffee as a maid set a plate and cup down in front of Hiroshi. "I guess the number of night shifts you've been working is taking its toll."

"I can't remember having breakfast before noon much these last few months." Hiroshi agreed, seeing a way out of the simple mistake. Before he could get his sleep addled brain to supply anything resembling conversation Haruka all but jogged into the dining room. The blonde bowed and apologized as she took a seat next to a somewhat sleepy looking Michiru.

"I see at least one of you is used to shaving in the morning." Suguru commented and was confused when Haruka choked on some water she had been drinking. Hiroshi rolled his eyes and grimaced for what felt like the millionth time this morning.

'Not like she needs to shave.' The young doctor thought this sourly as Haruka seemed to catch up to things.

"I'm getting used to early meetings with sponsors sir." Haruka responded, nodding her thanks to the maid who set a plate before her. It so happened that Haruka's chair was between Michiru and Hiroshi. Hiroshi took a few bites of his scrambled eggs and thought to himself how much of yin and yang they had become. Haruka, so much lighter in appearance, seemed to embrace all the careers he would never have been allowed to pursue. Her favorite things seemed to involve a good deal of risk to life and limb, yet the dear golden boy of the Tenoh family was patted on the back for it.

"I was thinking, I have to go in for a swing shift today and I was wondering if you'd like a tour of the hospital." Hiroshi addressed the older two Kaious as he began to remember why he was awake so early today. "I don't think the board gets to walk the halls very much, it'd be a chance to see where all the money really goes."

"That sounds very interesting." Saki spoke up, Michiru suppressed a laugh as her father did not look as keen as her mother. For Saki this was a chance to check up on her investments, but for Suguru who worked with medical supplies it would likely be just a reminder of the work he was taking time off from.

"It sounds like we may have a family field trip on our hands." Suguru commented, forcing enthusiasm into his voice. Michiru smiled, knowing only she and her mother had caught how unexcited her father was with the idea.

"Actually, I have to meet with my agent today." Michiru caught a look in her father's eye that was a mix of traitor and take me with you. Saki looked toward her daughter and raised an eyebrow.

"I thought we'd agreed no work during your visit?" Saki reminded her daughter in a tone showing that this was a dangerous topic right now.

"We did mother, but I need to sign a few apology letters for concerts I canceled to come home and a contract for the release of the last concert's CD." Michiru gave an innocent look and turned to look toward Hiroshi. "Maybe I can join you another time Hiroshi-san."

"Right." Hiroshi stood, his plate empty and nodded toward those around the table and smiled politely toward Michiru's parents. "Well I should go shave. If you'd still like to come, we will need to leave around 11 am."

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Haruka was halfway up the stairs when she heard a light voice call her name. The sleepy blonde turned and waited as Michiru caught up to her. The other young woman smiled and took the blonde's arm, this time guiding the sleepy young racer on her way up. Teal eyes, which had bluffed well after a quick shower, now wished to get another few hours of rest.

"I was wondering if you have any plans this afternoon Haruka-san." Michiru began as they reached the hall and started down it. Haruka paused and looked into blue eyes that were much clearer than her own teal now. Michiru could now see the truth in Haruka's previous statement about not being a morning person. The blonde just shook her head a little in answer. "I wanted you to come with me to see my agent."

"Sure." Haruka yawned widely as Michiru giggled at her. The violin player decided the young racer was cute this way, but the moment was completely broken as Michiru's mother called to her from somewhere down the staircase.

"Thank you, Haruka-san, we should leave around three." Michiru, without thinking, kissed the blonde's cheek and jogged back the way they had come. Haruka, for her part, blinked for a moment before a smirk lit her face. The blonde decided that getting a kiss on the cheek from her rather cute future in-law was not a bad thing. In fact, she felt guilty that her Grandmother was hoping to pawn Hiroshi off on the Kaiou family.

It was two thirty when a freshly showered and rested Haruka knocked on the door to Michiru's guest room. The blonde blinked when for the second time in two days the violin player answered it in nothing but a bathrobe. She blinked again then said she would wait in the car, and so there she sat in a golden convertible waiting in the afternoon sun. A pair of sunglasses protected her teal eyes as she debated a nap. Haruka, though she was female, never understood what took women so long to dress. The blonde smirked though, seeing Michiru emerge from the mansion just past three and noting she was at least faster than Hiroshi had ever been.

In a few minutes time they were out on the streets cruising toward Tokyo and making decent time. Michiru brushed some hair from her face and noticed that her blonde companion seemed to be at home behind the wheel, resting one hand lightly on the stick shift as the other confidently controlled the car. Teal eyes were hidden behind a pair of reflective lenses and the blonde wore another suit. This one looked to be a sort of brown or tan color, her inner shirt was a black button down and the blonde had skipped wearing a tie. On her wrist the gold Rolex had been replaced by a nice watch that looked like it and its band were made of steel.

"Haruka-san, I was wondering, how much do you know about why my parents and I have come to visit?" Michiru saw what she thought may have been a small wince crossing the blonde's face, but it was gone too fast to tell.

"Our parents arranged a marriage before we were born, when Hiroshi was very young." Haruka expertly made a left turn before continuing. "Now with the time that they agreed to getting this close, our families decided it'd be a good time to finally tell all of us so everyone can get to know each other. After all, if they want you to marry Hiroshi. . ."

"You assume my parents will choose Hiroshi." Michiru could not help the playful tone. Something about the cross-dressing blonde made her feel more relaxed about the situation.

"I'm not an option; I'm just here for show." Haruka said this, then the blonde seemed to rethink her own statement as they pulled into the parking structure of an expensive building. "Hiroshi is the one this deal was really made for."

"I hope I'm not wrong to say this, but you don't sound very excited about the prospect." Michiru watched as Haruka neither confirmed nor denied the statement. The violin player knew there were things about the Tenoh family, just from Haruka's reluctance to speak, that her parents did not know. "I didn't agree to this, it's all too old fashioned. I don't intend to marry your brother; I don't even know him."

"So, if you don't intend to go through with this, not that I can blame you, why did you come with your parents?" Haruka had just shut off the car, turning a bit in her seat to regard her passenger.

"Why did you come to the mansion just to be the equivalent of a human decoration?" Michiru countered the blonde with her own question. A moment of silence followed before the two seemed to smile almost in unison and the violin player spoke what they were both thinking. "To keep peace with the people who raised us, no matter how wrong we feel they may be."

"Which just leaves the question of why you're telling me any of this?" Haruka pointed out, tapping the younger woman's nose lightly with her finger.

"I was hoping to sway you into helping me find a way out of this mess." Michiru saw the blonde turn away, thinking at first, she had somehow upset the blonde. The young racer, however, just got out of her seat and strode around the car to open Michiru's door for her. She bowed in a comical way and Michiru giggled as she stood.

"Miss Kaiou, you would ask me to plot to foil the plans of my family? Ask me to go against the wishes of my dear departed parents?" Haruka spoke over dramatically as she shut the door behind the other young woman. The blonde decided she liked hearing Michiru giggle; it was almost an addictive sound.

"Do you agree with this?" Michiru asked as she began to sober a bit and looked at teal eyes being revealed as Haruka's glasses slid down her nose a bit.

"I shouldn't be saying this, but no I don't agree with what they are trying to do." There was a pause in which Haruka pushed her glasses back up. A few seconds time wherein the blonde seemed to pull herself back from the playful person she had just been to a more restrained form of herself. She offered her arm to Michiru, the two starting toward an elevator as Haruka said something that caught Michiru truly off guard. "I'd never wish Hiroshi on anyone for a lifetime."

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Published 2007  
Edited November 2020


	4. Past

Chapter 4: Past

Haruka left Michiru to her meeting, giving the young woman her cell phone number and excusing herself. She would have sworn she saw a hint of regret in those blue eyes, but right now the blonde needed to clear some thoughts while she had a chance. This brought her, twenty minutes later, to her apartment. She slid her key into the lock, realizing that aside from a few hours she had actually not entered the place in months.

"Hi Dad." Haruka spoke quietly to the brass urn which sat on a large bookshelf loaded with dusty volumes. To anyone else it may have seemed a strange spot for her father's remains, but considering the books were all that her family had allowed her to keep of her father's personal book collection Haruka thought it appropriate. After all, Yoshi Tenoh had spent his life reading and collecting beaten science fiction or mystery volumes. He also seemed to have a strange obsession with US history.

The blonde shook away the thoughts as she took a moment to clear any dust from the urn itself. She missed her father but thinking about that right now would not help. If he were here it was highly likely he would be trying to discourage the Kaious from pairing Michiru with Hiroshi. After all, no matter what Hiro thought, their father had been well aware of the young man's habits. Haruka almost regretted her decision to move out, but honestly, she felt she’d had no real choice in the matter.

The blonde hated thinking back on that night, the night that had finalized her decision.

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Flashback:

Haruka Tenoh was eighteen years old, and like most had her rebellious side. Most of the time when things felt too stressful the young blonde just took to the road or the track, speed always serving as her release. Most nights, things went almost along a script for the blonde racer. She would leave school, waste time around her friends wherever she could, reluctantly she would get on her motorcycle and make her way home.

When she arrived, after taking the long way home, she would find her grandmother complaining about her brother or how Haruka had not cleaned her room the right way. Sometimes she would find the med student and her grandmother screaming at each other, yelling at the top of their lungs. Haruka was familiar with it and that was why the blonde routinely blew off her classmates' assumptions that money fixes everything.

At eighteen she had been given a large trust fund to add to money she had already won in junior racing. She had spoken to her father and come to a decision she was not sure the other Tenohs would be happy with. In fact, that was why, months after turning eighteen, she had yet to tell them what she had chosen to do.

"You seem lost Haruka." The soft voice behind her seemed to surprise the blonde, bringing her back from her thoughts.

"What makes you say that Sakura?" Haruka felt two arms squeeze her lightly before her friend climbed off the back of her motorcycle.

"We've been sitting outside my house for so long that my father is pretending not to watch us." Sakura smiled at the surprised look Haruka gave her, poking the tall blonde once. "Hey, you know I assured my mother that you were a safe person to ride with, but you didn't even know you parked."

"Sorry, its second nature to me I guess."

"Can I give the most untouchable guy in school some advice?" Sakura waited until Haruka nodded and accepted her helmet back. The slightly younger woman leaned forward and kissed the senior on the cheek before whispering to her. "Just tell them that you're moving out, it'll take a load off your mind."

"You think so?"

"Well, that and I think you should go get a girlfriend." Sakura held her hands up to ward off the glare that was thrown her way. "Alright mister I'm never going to date; I just think you should take a chance to notice all those girls that trip over each other to get your attention."

Haruka watched her friend walk into the house, then nodded toward a set of eyes watching her from a kitchen window. She secured her helmet with practiced ease and was off. She sped through the streets as the sun was setting, taking the corners far faster than she should have but she was still a bit stressed. She blew past a cop who ignored her; probably the same one who had chased her a few times and never caught the teen.

It was not until she reached her home; the Tenoh mansion that she actually thought maybe tonight would be quiet. Maybe for once things would work out like the quiet life people claimed to have so often. She shut off her bike, hung her helmet from the handlebars, and walked up the steps. The door swung open and Hiroshi was waiting.

"Where the hell were you?!" He growled toward his sister as she walked past him. Haruka unbuttoned her red school jacket and shrugged out of it. She took her time to toss it across a living room chair before answering.

"I was out with Sakura." Teal eyes scanned the older Tenoh, taking note that his face was wet but the rest of him seemed as if he had not showered in a day or two. His clothes were rumbled and dark and he was pale. Hiroshi in fact did not even seem able to stay still, he was pacing back and forth across the living room as he mumbled to himself.

"Why the hell do you spend so much time with her?" Hiroshi growled out again, glaring straight at his sister as he came to a stop. "It doesn't look good; people are going to assume things. People are going to say things."

"Why should I care what people think? I know the truth." Haruka shrugged off the comment and started to turn away when Hiroshi grabbed her arm to stop her.

"So, you don't care what I think?" Hiroshi was getting angrier and Haruka was more than a little frustrated already.

"Hiro, you're my brother I'd think you'd at least trust me." Haruka paused and shook her head. "What the hell do you think I've been doing?"

"I don't know, maybe you're sleeping with that damn girl or something." Hiroshi let go of her arm but Haruka paused and seemed to freeze. It was not that he was right, he was not. Instead it was the fact that he had just accused her of that. Hiroshi spoke again, not taking any warning from Haruka's silence. "Hell, you have a lot of male friends too. How the hell do we know that you haven't been doing something with them when you say you're with Sakura after school? In fact, I've heard people moving around in your room at night."

"First of all, my male friends think I'm male, and second I can't believe you'd say that crap to me!" Haruka turned and glared right at her brother. She had no idea where anyone else was, but right now it did not matter. She was too angry to wonder about who else was or was not present. "As for movement in my room, you know I'm an insomniac. I walk around, I watch movies, I listen to music and I type."

"That doesn't prove anything!" Hiroshi bellowed. "Damn I can't stand the way you act! Why should I believe you wouldn't be just as quick to fall all over a guy as any other teenage girl?"

"Because I don't like guys!" Haruka yelled this without thinking than paused. She saw a look cross his face that she was not expecting, total and complete shock. Once this man had been her best friend, the person she had trusted most in the world, but things had changed. The blonde turned on her heel and strode back toward the door.

"Where the hell are you going?" Hiroshi yelled as he jogged after her, grabbing her arm as she neared the door.

"Anywhere but here." Haruka shot back and pulled her arm back out of his grasp.

"Damn it, do you think you're a damn guy? I'm still your older brother and you'll do what I say!" Hiroshi grabbed Haruka's arm again. "Are you trying to ruin the family name? Why couldn't you just put on a damn dress and act normal?"

"Get out of my face!" Haruka glared at him as his next words left his mouth.

"Why so you can go back to pretending to be a guy? Damn dyke!"

"I guess a drug dealing Speed addict is so much better." Haruka shot back. Hiroshi turned red and the next thing she knew a fist connected with her jaw. The blonde paused for a moment where her head had snapped to the side, she swallowed a small amount of blood rather than give Hiroshi the satisfaction of seeing her spit it onto the hard wood floor, and then her teal eyes met his brown eyes again. "Get away from me now."

"Haru, I'm just trying to save you from all the shit people are going to say and do." Hiroshi tried suddenly to reason it out with her. Haruka glared and turned toward the door again. Her brother growled and cursed as he punched a wall next to him. "If you walk out don't come back!"

"This isn't your house Hiroshi." Haruka slammed the door behind her and spat blood onto the lawn. She did not know where exactly to go, but she was not going to stay here tonight. Without looking back toward the mansion, the blonde climbed onto her motorcycle and sped off into the darkening night. She never noticed Ichiro watching her from a first-floor window.

End Flashback:

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Haruka came back to the present as her cell phone played a little alert tune, it sounded happier than the blonde currently felt. She looked at the screen, it was a short text message letting her know that Michiru was done with her meeting and ready to go. Teal eyes looked back to the brass urn and she respectfully bowed.

"Please let me know somehow if you have any ideas Dad." Haruka said this, not expecting any sort of reply from the ashes inside their urn. She was out the door again not long after.

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Published 2007  
Edited November 2020


	5. Good Night

Chapter 5: Good night

As Haruka slowly brought the convertible up the drive the sun was just starting to sink over the horizon. Teal eyes glanced toward the passenger seat, not truly feeling like returning so early. Michiru seemed to be trying to cover a feeling of dread at the thought of returning to the mansion, if her dazed eyes and lack of attention was any indication. She was not paying attention to anything around her, lost in her own thoughts until the car came to a full halt.

"Haruka, we're only halfway up the drive?" Michiru looked to the blonde in confusion until Haruka smirked back at her. "What are you thinking?"

"Hiroshi is on swing shift, he won't be back until somewhere around midnight." Haruka leaned a bit toward Michiru and waved a hand toward the house. The blonde Tenoh heir could almost hear her father's voice laughing like it once had when Haruka came up with a last-minute idea. "I could drop you off, leave you to get to know my grandmother and maybe play your violin."

"Or?" Michiru was starting to feel intrigued by whatever it was the blonde was slowly proposing.

"Or you could do me the honor of accompanying me to a business party tonight. Nothing fancy, just one of my fellow racers and a lot of sponsors at a large house." Haruka sat back again and gave a look as if it did not affect her either way. "I don't think anyone inside can see us yet, and if they can then it's still your choice. So, how would you like to spend your evening miss Kaiou?"

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Michiru was just finishing a voicemail message to her parents when Haruka pulled up in front of another mansion. From the outside it looked like an expensive block party complete with what sounded like a live rock band in the back yard. The violin player started to rethink her decision until she noticed Haruka again holding the door open for her.

Haruka smiled as Michiru took her arm and the blonde noticed the valet was nearly drooling. She tossed him her keys with a warning glare and led Michiru inside. The inside of the mansion was well lit, and though some people were drinking the party in here seemed much calmer than Michiru had imagined.

"Tenoh!" An American man with dark hair and brown eyes ran over, pausing and grinning in a knowing way as he saw Michiru. "Oh, so this is why you had to return to Japan so badly. Is this your fiancé Tenoh? If not, I may just try to steal her away if she speaks English."

"Er, no this is Michiru Kaiou." Haruka seemed to be lost for how to explain her guest until Michiru nudged her. The blonde looked down into deep blue eyes and almost forgot the man standing before them.

"I speak English quite well, thank you." Michiru held to Haruka's arm a bit tighter and smiled politely to the man before her. "I'm a friend and Haruka decided to take me out tonight."

"Oh, well my name is Walter Green." He grinned toward the blonde again before speaking to Michiru. "Haruka and I race for the same team. I was starting to wonder if our star racer was a gay man, seeing as I never saw him bring a date to anything."

"Haruka's just very private about his relationships, it's actually normal for Japan." Michiru looked toward the blonde and threw a playful wink. "After all, our parents often feel they know what is best for both us and the family."

"Guess I can understand that." Walter gave a conspiratorial look and waggled his brow. "You seem to understand Tenoh pretty well; does that mean you're his girlfriend?"

"We're friends Green." Haruka gave him a stern look but the man just laughed.

"I've heard that one before." Walter laughed a bit as Haruka led Michiru further into the house. The living room had been cleared and its hard wood floor was being used as a dance floor. Unlike the back yard where lights flashed and speakers banged, the music in here was much slower. All the songs being played on the expensive stereo were meant to dance slowly to. "May I have a dance?"

"I'd love to." Michiru was led onto the dance floor and Haruka placed her arms about the shorter woman's waist. Michiru lightly rested her arms on the blonde's shoulders and they swayed together with the music.

"I should have warned you; I never dance and I'm bad at it." Haruka smirked when she just got giggled at for her trouble. She eyed the woman in her arms and shook her head lightly. "Why did you help me out with Green? As far as you know I could easily be a gay man."

"Haruka, I may have only known you for a few very short days, but I know you aren't a gay man." Michiru giggled again even as Haruka sighed and seemed to look almost worried about the statement. The violin player rested her head on the blonde's shoulder and leaned against her a bit. For whatever reason, the blonde obviously wanted people to think she was male. "Isn't the point of tonight to have fun?"

"That's what parties are for." Haruka commented back, a bit slowly. She was surprised to have the other young woman this close but far from complaining.

"Then relax Haruka and enjoy it." The quite voice of the violin player made the blonde's heart skip for just a second and Haruka smirked. One night, that was all, the blonde promised to herself. Just One night to relax and just enjoy being out, one night to get to know the young woman currently dancing with her. If that was the only time she could relax, then Michiru was right the blonde should take the chance to enjoy it.

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Ichiro had tea and coffee waiting when Hiroshi and the Kaious returned. Hiroshi took a sip of his coffee, looking very tired, and off handedly asked where Haruka was. Ichiro responded with an apology, not sure where the other young master had gone after Michiru's appointment. That was when the real show seemed to start. Hiroshi paused in mid drink and stared blankly at the man for a time. He slowly seemed to start thinking and moving again.

"Haruka went with Kaiou-san to her appointment?" Hiroshi asked, trying not to curse at the mention of Haruka.

"Master Haruka drove Kaiou-san to the appointment." Ichiro informed as he refilled Suguru's coffee cup.

"Where is Michiru?" Saki asked the question with a note of caution in her voice. Hiroshi glanced toward the woman and was not able to tell her opinion of any of it, even as Ichiro spoke again.

"Kaiou-san hasn't returned either." Ichiro informed them, being careful to hide his inner smile. He had seen the golden convertible come halfway up the drive, then reverse back down the drive and depart again.

"Hold on, let me check my voicemail." Suguru showed his wife his phone before hitting a few keys. He placed it on speaker, seeming to not take notice that Hiroshi was still in the room.

"You have one new message." The prerecorded voice spoke and then there was a pause. "New message received at six thirty pm today."

"Ohayo Dad." The voice which replaced the recorded one was Michiru's. If you listened carefully you could hear a car radio and wind in the background. "I didn't want either of you to worry. I am going to a business party with Haruka-san and we will be back late. I have my cell phone with me in case you need to call me."

"Nothing to worry about, she's with Haruka-kun." Suguru seemed content with the message as he closed his phone and put it back in his pocket. Saki still looked like she was thinking things over though, unsure if she approved of her daughter's actions or not.

"I should be getting to bed, it's late." Hiroshi stood up; setting down his half empty cup before he bowed. "Sorry."

"That sounds like a good idea." Suguru commented after the younger man had left the room. He stood and held out a hand to help his wife when they heard the door open. Michiru could be heard laughing as two people approached the living room in which the Kaiou's sat.

"Michiru." Saki called and they heard the footsteps pause. Then a moment later Michiru entered with the taller blonde not far behind her.

"Kaiou-san, Kaiou-sama." Haruka bowed out of respect to the two elder people as they both eyed her. Suguru sat back down and sighed, he was afraid this might not be the best discussion.

"Haruka-kun." Saki smiled at the youngest Tenoh and stood. She approached the two and eyed them both. "Did you both have fun tonight?"

"Yes ma'am." Haruka's face showed a serious expression as she spoke to the woman before her. "Your daughter impressed a number of the sponsors tonight. I think some of them may never have heard of music that did not involve a lot of bass or a commercial jingle. She may have brought some culture to a few people in the racing world."

"Is that so?" Saki looked toward her daughter and Michiru smiled.

"They aren't as bad as Haruka-san is making them sound. As it turned out one of the sponsors minored in music when he was studying business. He played the cello, so we talked about different string quartet pieces."

"I'm sure Michiru can fill us in about this all tomorrow morning." Suguru stood again and waved a hand dismissively toward the two younger occupants of the room. Saki started to say something, but her husband beat her to it. "It's late and I'm sure we're all tired. Tomorrow we can talk after breakfast."

Michiru took this as her queue to leave, knowing her father was trying to save them all an hours' long discussion. She took a hold of Haruka's elbow and tugged lightly so the blonde would follow her. Michiru could feel her mother's eyes watch them for a moment longer, until they reached the stairs.

"So." Haruka waited to speak until they again stood before Michiru's door. The blonde shoved her hands in her pockets and looked at the wooden door just above Michiru's head. "I guess I'd better say good night and get off to bed too."

"Thank you for taking me to the party Haruka, it was fun." Michiru did not notice she had forgotten the honorific for a moment but once she did, she saw Haruka smile.

"You know, to anyone else it'd sound like we'd just been on a date." The blonde smirked and met Michiru's eyes with her own teal eyes.

"It almost feels like one." Michiru agreed. Neither noticed that they were leaning toward each other a bit.

"So, does that mean I'm supposed to get a good night kiss?" Haruka commented. At this point Michiru did not know what to say. She just paused, and then she gave in and tugged the blonde forward by her collar. Michiru's lips lightly touched Haruka's cheek and she smiled toward the young race car driver. The blonde pulled back and scratched the back of her head.

"Good night Haruka." Michiru said cheerfully even as Haruka seemed stuck halfway between a frown and a grin. The blonde's expression caused Michiru to giggle and Haruka tossed her a playful glare. Michiru just turned and started into her room for the night.

"Good night, Michiru." Haruka spoke with amused resignation as she turned and walked off into the shadows. Michiru waited for just a bit, even as she heard the curious thump that always seemed to signal Haruka's departure. By the time she turned her eyes back toward the hall the blonde was gone so, with a sigh, she entered her own room for the night.

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Published 2007  
Edited November 2020


	6. Round Two

Chapter 6: Round Two

Morning found the whole house awoken by the sound of loud yelling. It was not clear to any of them what was going on as the Kaiou's emerged and found Hiroshi, still in his clothes from the previous day, yelling at the ceiling as if it were a person. He was standing some feet past Michiru's guest room and his complexion was red from anger.

"Come out you little coward!" Hiroshi yelled toward the ceiling and at this point Michiru's father looked uneasily after the young man. "You can face down my friends but not me? Is that it?"

"Tenoh-san?" Michiru's father began to interrupt when they all paused. The ceiling had emitted an odd sort of creak and now a portion of it was swinging downward in front of the outraged young man. Michiru suddenly realized where Haruka always disappeared to as a folding staircase attached to the trapdoor unfolded fully. A yawning and bored looking blonde came to sit on the top steps as Hiroshi raged on.

"Where do you come off sending my friend's away? You don't even live here anymore!" Hiroshi snapped, glaring at Haruka in a murderous way.

"Grandma made it clear she didn't want any other guests until the Kaiou's visit was over." Haruka responded and still seemed board as Hiroshi took another step toward the stairs, seemingly intent on climbing them. Teal eyes locked with his and Haruka's voice went entirely dry of emotion. "Don't even think about coming up here right now. Why don't we discuss why your friend had a key to the front door? Or why they seemed to think it okay to drop by at three in the morning? Better yet, we can discuss why they threatened me before they had any idea who exactly stopped them from entering."

"When my friends want to see me is my business." Hiroshi barked and this time he did take one step onto the stairs. He took another two as Haruka stood, hopping off the side of the stairs and falling lightly from ceiling height to avoid the older Tenoh. Hiroshi growled as Haruka crouched at Michiru's feet and slowly rose back to full height.

"Good Morning Michiru-san." Haruka said calmly with a small bow toward the violin player. Both, unlike Hiroshi, were still in their respective sleep clothes. Michiru bowed back but held her robe to ensure it still covered her pajamas while taking in the blonde's rumbled and wrinkled pajamas.

"Hey! My friends are none of your business; get that through your head!" Hiroshi growled once he had caught up with Haruka, grabbing the blonde's elbow and attempting to yank the racer to face him. Everyone seemed a little surprised when the younger Tenoh moved faster than any of them were able to keep up with. Haruka had Hiroshi pinned to the ground and was kneeling next to him to keep him restrained.

"I told you not to touch me." Haruka commented just before a new voice interrupted them from the other side of the hall.

"Haruka Tenoh! Get off your brother right now!" Maiko Tenoh looked appalled at how her two grandchildren were behaving in front of their guests. Haruka stood, backing away from Hiroshi as he growled and lurched to his feet. He looked ready to launch himself at the blonde when Maiko snapped again. "Hiroshi! You have work, go get dressed!"

Hiroshi paused for a moment, then gave of a frustrated sound halfway between a scream and a growl. Soon he had stocked back into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Maiko sighed as she heard the young man continue to rage inside his bedroom and a few muffled thumps.

"What were you two thinking?" Maiko stated, looking squarely at Haruka. The blonde hung her head a bit as she bowed toward the elder Tenoh.

"I'm sorry Grandma." Was all Haruka said as Maiko shook her head.

"Well, as everyone seems to be awake now, I'll have breakfast prepared." Maiko turned and slowly walked off. Haruka could see her nerves had been rattled as their long-time butler kept a steadying hand hovering near the woman's elbow and she leaned a bit much on her old cane.

"Haruka-san, what was that about?" Michiru looked over at her but the blonde just shook her head and faced the older Kaiou's.

"I'm sorry Kaiou-sama, Kaiou-san." Haruka bowed again then turned back toward the trap door staircase and disappeared back into the room above it. The blonde let out a sigh of relief as she heard the staircase click back into place. This was promising to be a long day.

"Back off I'll take you on!" Haruka jumped as the music blared from her cell phone, having forgotten her own ring tone in all the confusion. She glared at the small device and grabbed it from the nightstand.

"Tenoh Haruka speaking."

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Everything seemed to quiet down for a few days in the mansion. Haruka found herself thinking that maybe this was going to be one of those rare times that Hiroshi let things just blow over. In fact, it was nearly a week later before anything interesting happened to the blonde.

"Are you sure you can't stay home Haruka?" Maiko asked as the blonde stepped into the living room to say goodbye. She set her duffle bag down for a moment and shook her head.

"I'm lucky that my team let me out of all the practices I missed as it is Grandma." Haruka gave the eldest Tenoh a hug and bowed to the three Kaious before grabbing her bag again. "I can't miss these two races. I promise I'll fly back in a few days, and then I'll have another week off."

"Alright but wear your helmet." Maiko Tenoh said, the same thing she had told the blonde when she was just a child on a bicycle.

"Yes Grandma." Haruka said with a laugh. She did not bother to tell her Grandmother that the league would not let you race without one.

So Haruka walked to the door, feeling fairly good at the moment. That was until she opened the front door to the mid-morning light and saw her convertible for the first time that day. Haruka's duffle bag fell to the ground and she froze eyes wide as she stared at the scene on the driveway. All color had drained from the blonde's face in mere seconds. Footsteps and a yawn were heard behind her as Hiroshi came downstairs for work. He called a quick goodbye to the guests and stepped past Haruka.

"I think you may need to get your car looked at Haru-chan." Hiroshi smirked. He proceeded past the beaten gold convertible, got into his black Honda and drove away without another word. Ichiro looked past the younger of his two masters and winced, knowing as well as Haruka who was responsible for this.

"Haruka-san what's wrong?" Michiru, followed by Maiko and her parents, stepped over to where Haruka now stood just outside the door. The blonde was in complete shock, she did not even blink for the moment.

The headlights, taillights, and turn lights had been smashed in. The windshield was shattered, the black cloth of the roof shredded, the side windows smashed. Someone had taken a knife to the expensive leather interior; they had keyed the golden paint and even spray-painted kanji symbols in random spots. Dents seemed to dot the car where someone had smashed a metal bat or pipe against it and all four tires had been punctured.

"They killed my car." Haruka muttered very slowly. She did not notice a pair of worried blue eyes watching her. The blonde's skin had gone slightly pale as her eyes surveyed the damage before her.

"You'll miss your plane if you stay too long Master Haruka." Ichiro said in a consoling tone before he held out another set of keys to her. "Your motorcycle has a full tank."

"Thank you, Ichiro-san." Haruka seemed to mentally shake off the shock as she traded keys with the old butler. She offered him a weak smile and she nodded her thanks to the man. "Please arrange for the convertible to be moved into the garage, I'll take care of it as soon as I get back."

"As you wish, Master Haruka." Ichiro turned away and disappeared back into the mansion. Haruka grabbed her duffle, slipping the strap over her head and across her shoulders. This time the blonde only waved goodbye as she walked off around the side of the mansion.

A few minutes later they heard the growl of a motorcycle engine and an expensive sports bike came around the side of the house. It paused, blue paint gleaming in the sun, just long enough for Haruka to wave before pealing out of the drive. It took only moments for the sound of the engine to die into the distance.

"Shouldn't we call the police about your grandson's car, Tenoh-sama?" Suguru suggested, looking off toward the gate.

"No, Haruka will handle this when he returns." Only Michiru caught a slight pause in Maiko's comment. That was when Michiru began to wonder exactly why the older two Tenohs were pretending Haruka was male as well.

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Published 2007  
Edited November 2020


	7. Taka

Chapter 7: Taka

Haruka sighed tiredly as she slid into her seat on the team's bus. Luckily, they had chanced out and the second race was being held only a few hours’ drive away, but the blonde still would have rather driven alone. Unfortunately, she knew it was not a good idea, as she had not slept well on the plane and had not had a chance to since.

"Hey! Great race Tenoh!" Green smiled widely as he dropped into the seat next to her. Haruka ignored his enthusiasm and shut her eyes. Somehow this only caused the American to become more persistent. "I didn't think you were going to make it for the charity race too. Why didn't you bring your fiancé with?"

"First, she isn't my fiancée." Haruka growled quietly. For a moment there was a pause, then Green was all pep again.

"Yeah, okay she's a friend I got it." Green spoke, not sounding utterly convinced as he settled into his own seat and looked up to the overhead monitors set in the roof. He smiled as some newly released DVD started to play. Again, it was quiet for a brief moment, but then the man smirked and spoke again. "So, do you miss her?"

Haruka groaned and resisted the urge to glare at the man next to her. This was going to be a long ride it seemed, and it only seemed longer as Green started to hum along with the movies opening music.

Dinner seemed to pass incredibly slowly for Michiru. As she slipped her cell phone carefully from a pocket without looking down, she feigned interest in the conversation the other four were having though in all honesty she had lost track of it long ago. The violin player was only still at the table because she had promised her mother, she would wait for everyone to finish tonight. Still, as her blue eyes glanced down to start a text message, she thanked the fact she had landed on her own side of the table.

"Tenoh." Green was shaking Haruka's shoulder and she blinked in confusion. He smirked at her and gestured toward her jacket. "Your jacket keeps vibrating."

It took a moment for her drowsy mind to put two and two together. As soon as she remembered what was in her pocket, she pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open.

"What is it?" Green asked like an excited little kid, his eyes even had a little sparkle in them. "Is it a text message? Can I read it?"

"Yes, it is and no you can't." Haruka responded as she turned in her seat a bit so the man could no longer see the screen over her shoulder.

"But this movie is boring." Green whined in his best imitation of a four-year-old.

"Deal with it." Haruka then ignored him in favor of the message on her screen.

'Congratulations on winning the race. Where are you at the moment?' The short message came from Michiru's cell phone.

"Hey, Tenoh?"

"What, Green?"

"Why are you smiling suddenly?"

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Michiru felt a slight buzzing in her hand and squeezed a button on the side of her phone. She waited until she was sure no one was looking than glanced down at the screen.

'Thank you. I'm on my way to the next race by bus. Green is sitting next to me acting like an overgrown kid.' Michiru smiled and looked up at the others again. No one was paying any attention to her, all too busy with discussion over Tenchi Hospital.

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"Damn." Haruka glared at the latest message and Green turned his attention toward her. He raised an eyebrow as she sighed.

"What happened?"

"Michiru asked me to say hi to you." Haruka grumbled, knowing full well what was coming next.

"I knew it, you're talking to her!" Green nearly bounced out of his seat with a huge grin on his face. "Are you two setting up your next date?"

"It isn't like that." The blonde grumbled and glared at him.

"Oh, so what is it like?" Green watched her closely and smiled a bit too much for her taste.

"She's supposed to marry my brother!" Haruka growled at him in frustration. She took a deep breath as some of the few people still awake looked their way. Thankfully Green waited until the attention was back off them to speak again.

"Wow. Tenoh I never pegged you as the type to break up a happy home." The American looked so completely scandalized that Haruka was sure he was faking it.

"It was an arranged marriage and I'm not breaking up anything." Haruka grumbled again as she typed a new message.

"Really?" Green sighed a bit and settled back into his seat, apparently calm at the moment. "That's too bad."

"Oh. Why is that?" She asked, not honestly caring much why.

"Well at the party I saw the two of you dancing." Green closed his eyes, relaxing into his seat. In the man's mind he could clearly recall the image. "You should have seen what you both looked like. You just seemed to fit together, like you were the perfect couple."

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Michiru looked down to her latest text message and it took a good amount of will power not to laugh. It was short and there was no explanation for it, but she was sure whatever inspired it was comical.

'Green is insane. I should inform the team medics so they can get him some professional help.'

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The days with her team came and went quickly, adding two wins to Haruka's standings. She had been back in Japan for only a day when Michiru found her in the garage, or more precisely found the blonde's legs sticking out from under her currently trashed convertible. For a moment she paused in the door, listening to the sounds of tools and metal, and watching as the blonde's leg seemed to twitch now and then. She was wondering if she should interrupt or not when the racer's somewhat deep voice made her jump.

"Hello Michiru-san." Haruka laughed when Michiru jumped, causing the musician to glare at her.

"What's so funny?" She asked, stepping a bit closer to the car.

"Just you jumped so high I lost sight of your feet for a moment." Haruka responded her smile audible at this point. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"What are you doing down there?" Michiru crouched near a wheel, bending a little oddly until she could see a set of teal eyes gazing back from the shadows under the car. "And how can you see anything?"

"I'm fixing some of the damage to my baby here. The people who did this decided to disconnect, break and remove a few parts while they were at it." Haruka tapped an object hooked to something next to her and spoke again. "I did have a source of light, but it seems someone may have unplugged it when they entered."

Michiru looked up, deep blue eyes following a heavy orange cord from under the car up to the wall where it had clearly been plugged in before she entered. She blushed a bit as she realized she accidentally kicked that cord while looking for the blonde.

"Gomen, Haruka." She stood and walked over to the cord. She paused, about to plug it in when she heard wheels rolling across the concrete floor. As Michiru looked back over her shoulder she found the blonde sitting up on a rolling board. Haruka eased back so that she was leaning on the convertible's battered bumper.

"I was thinking about taking a break." Haruka commented standing and slowly stretching. She walked over and smirked as she bowed to the woman before her. "Would you like to go with me for lunch, Michiru?"

"Where to?"

"Anywhere you want so long as we get out of the house for a while." Haruka took in the smile that appeared on Michiru's face and wondered what she had just gotten herself into.

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Hiroshi sat quietly in the den, trying his best to keep up the charming appearance around Suki and Suguru. He had worked a morning shift and come home an hour or two after lunch to find only the two Kaiou's. For the moment, they seemed to be lost in their own conversation and the young doctor could merely sit back and close his eyes tiredly. He could feel it, his temper and stress being restrained by a thin wall of will power. He needed to do his best not to show his bad side around these guests, he needed to impress them.

Hiroshi opened his eyes as he felt his pager vibrating on his belt and suppressed a growl. He fished the small device from his belt and looked at the display, now he fought a smile at the number he saw displayed. He stood and bowed apologetically toward his guests.

"I'm sorry, but it looks like I need to go back to the hospital."

"So soon?" Saki's voice held a note of worry as she watched him. "Is something wrong?"

"I won't really know until I get there, but I'm sure it's just something routine like a patient that is insisting they speak to me." Hiroshi smiled good naturedly and bowed again. It only took a moment for the young man to stride into the hall and out the door, practically jogging to his black car.

Once behind the wheel he took a moment to check his reflection in the rearview mirror and winced. He looked almost as tired as he felt. If it hadn't been for Haruka's interference he'd have already handled this, but since his dear sister had returned home, he found it hard to keep up appearances without sacrificing here and there. So, as he drove into one of the less reputable districts of Tokyo, he felt a small amount of joy just knowing that no eyes were on him. No one keeping tabs on where he was, who he was with or when someone wanted to speak to him. This area had not changed much from the first time he had laid eyes on it.

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Flashback:

Fifteen-year-old Hiroshi Tenoh glanced over his shoulder, half expecting to find old Ichiro or their family driver chasing him. It was a useless thought, as it was doubtful any of them knew that he had left school early. His brown eyes scanned the dirty streets, the graffiti covered walls and the random passersby in this part of Tokyo. He took a nervous look at his own clothing, a clean and well pressed school uniform with the collar hook undone and an expensive watch on his wrist. He was almost certain he would be mugged before he reached his destination.

"Tenoh-san! We've got to do something about your sense of style man!" The voice sent the fifteen-year-old spinning to face the alley he had just passed. A young man grinned at him. The other man had spiked black hair, brown eyes hidden behind shades, his dark pants were baggy with chains hanging from various pockets and belt loops and a leather jacket rested across his shoulders. "Well, nothing we can do about it right now class president."

"Taka-san? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Hiroshi glared as Taka just laughed and walked over to slap him on the back.

"You were so nervous you nearly walked past the house; I was just catching you. If you want feel free to take a walk around the block man." Taka was already guiding him toward the door of an old, very worn-down house with a few broken windows and loads of graffiti. "Come on, the party is inside."

"In there?" Hiroshi's surprise was evident, but Taka ignored it and just pulled him to the door. He gave two quick, loud knocks and it opened to blaring music from inside and a smoky atmosphere. Hiroshi could see several of their classmates, mostly the lower scoring, milling about or moving through the artificial fog. "Whose house is this?"

"My uncle's. Look, don't worry so much we're all here to unwind." Taka pulled him further inside and toward a couch. There was a table pulled up before the couch and a number of people sat around it on the floor or couch itself. On the table were beer cans, bottles, packets of white powder, something Hiroshi was sure was not tobacco, and a number of other things related to smoking. "You wanna try something?"

"What?" Hiroshi turned his eyes toward Taka, they were burning a little from the smoke inside. He was also starting to feel a bit more relaxed though he didn't see why.

"You're eyeing the table like a curious kid." Taka grabbed a little pipe and a lighter and grinned even wider as he held them up. "So, what do you say rich kid?"

Hiroshi's mind was made up then, nothing else Taka could say could have worked so well. The teen was tired of being singled out, being treated differently from the others. He was tired of having all his choices taken away from him. Taka's party wasn't a place his family would have allowed him to go; it was somewhere his teachers wouldn't expect him to be.

End Flashback:

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"Tenoh!" Taka, now taller and older jumped up off the couch of the old house and came over to give the other man a back-slapping hug. A few guys milled about the living room of the run-down house, all wearing black leather jackets and chains. Little had changed other than what was worn under those jackets in the past twelve years. "How have you been man? You called what, like two weeks ago, and said something about family business? And who was that blonde dude that beat up Yoriko?"

"That was my brother." Hiroshi clenched a fist until Taka grabbed his shoulder and shook it lightly.

"Hey, relax man. None of that family crap here, right?" He shrugged out of his heavy leather jacket, a bit of the red dragon on the back was visible as he tossed it over the back of the couch carelessly. He took a seat and waved Hiroshi over. "Have a seat. Hell, man have a fix!"

Hiroshi took a seat next to his old classmate and cracked his neck before turning his eyes toward the table. Dime bags of speed were lined up neatly on one side with a mirror and razor blade in the center of the table. Hiroshi had not used this form in a long time, but he felt his muscles relax as he pulled a pen from his pocket and disassembled it with ease. After he had done two lines, inhaling them quickly through his nose he sighed. Not surprisingly he went through his usual coughing fit soon after, but it did not bother him two much. All his energy was back, in fact he felt twitchy sitting on this couch with nothing to do.

"So, feel better?" Taka watched his friend nod through another coughing fit and laughed. He looked at one of his companions and nodded toward the old kitchen. "Go get him some water! Had a feeling you'd be needing to relax before we talked. Being a doctor must be pretty hard on the nerves, huh? I think I'm just happy running my uncle's old business."

"You mean you'd rather make your money fast and easy." Hiroshi commented as he calmed down. He was handed a bottle of water and sipped at it as he slouched a bit.

"Damn straight! Kami knows I'd hate to have to spend as long as you did in school, and then have to make a name for myself to earn the big money." Taka laughed and crossed his legs, throwing his arms across the back of the couch. "Not that you had to do much on that last part, your family already has a pretty well-known one."

"Yeah." Hiroshi sighed deeply and rubbed his temple as he remembered why he was so stressed out in the first place. "So, did someone get shot or something?"

"Nobody has to get shot for me to call on my favorite doctor." Taka tried to sound offended, but it just didn't work. He gave up and just went back to his normal laid-back mode. "Actually, I wanted to thank you for what you did for my guy last month. You know the one I sent to the emergency room off the record."

"It's fine, call it even for what you had done to my brother's convertible."

"It belonged to that prick?" Taka sat up a bit and laughed as he shook his head. "Now I really owe you man, he deserved it for what he did to Yoriko. I don't think the boy's nose will ever look the same. What's wrong with your brother anyway?"

"He said Yoriko attacked him." Hiroshi commented, trying not to sound accusing. "I told you to warn them not to do that kind of thing around my home."

"Won’t happen again. Your brother broke his nose, I broke his arm, I think the kid learned not to attack people in your home." Taka sighed and tilted his head to one side. "Has the old lady put you on lock down and why is your brother there anyway? I thought he moved out years ago?"

"I'm not on lock down we just have some company." Hiroshi looked over at Taka and grimaced. "I have to get some friends of the family to have their daughter marry me or I lose the hospital."

"Ouch." Taka stood up and stretched before grinning at him again. Hiroshi realized that unlike him, Taka always seemed to be grinning. The doctor in him wondered if the gang leader had fried his mood receptors or something. Taka pulled out a fat package from a nearby backpack and tossed it to the young doctor. Hiroshi blinked and Taka laughed again. "It's a thank you for all your help. Don't smoke it all at once."

"Probably best if I don't smoke it at all until my guests leave." Hiroshi looked like he was lamenting his own statement.

"Ah, that'll be hell on your nerves man. Try to resist it if you want but take some of those bags with you to help take the edge off."

"Thank you, Taka."

"Anytime." Taka messed Hiroshi's hair as he walked past and toward the front door. He paused and looked back at the other man. "I gotta go take care of some stuff, but if you want to hide out from the family for a while feel free."

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The sports bike seemed to prowl to a stop in a slightly sandy parking space before Haruka shut the engine off. Her passenger slid gracefully from where she'd sat sidesaddle behind the racer, a feat that impressed Haruka quite a bit, and started to remove her helmet. The blonde's teal eyes watched for a moment before Haruka followed suit with her own helmet.

"So, you said you know a restaurant here?" Haruka commented as she hung her helmet from her motorcycle. She took Michiru's helmet as the shorter woman unzipped her borrowed leather jacket and smiled. The blonde had to admit, that smile could easily make men drop to their knees if that had been what the young artist before her wanted.

"It's just across the street." Michiru confirmed as she took the blonde's hand and led her toward a row of small businesses. Haruka blinked but did not complain even as they seemed to draw the attention of people near them. Haruka knew some of the men were probably envying her at the moment. "I come here when I want to have some peace to think."

"And what are you thinking about today?" Haruka inquired as they entered the little indoor restaurant. All she received as an answer was another smile, though this one looked slightly more mischievous than any of the others.

"Kaiou-san." A young man greeted them with a bow. "Would you like your regular table?"

"Yes, thank you." Michiru responded and let go of Haruka's hand. They were led to a corner table next to a large window that looked out over the shoreline. The young man quickly handed over a set of menus and strode back toward the door. Nothing else was said until after they had given their orders to a waitress.

"So Michiru-san." Haruka took a drink of water and watched the young artist across the table. "Have you thought of a way out of our parents' arrangement yet?"

"Actually, I think I might have come up with something." Michiru smiled as the blonde raised an eyebrow. The artist set down her fork lightly and leaned across the table a bit. Her face became serious as she beckoned Haruka forward. "But I think I need to ask you something first."

"What's that?" Haruka responded, leaning over the table herself. Michiru leaned a bit closer and Haruka was caught off guard as she felt the other woman's breath on her ear.

"Why does everyone at the mansion pretend you're male?" Michiru whispered to the blonde. She kept her voice low not because she cared if anyone heard them, but rather because she did not know if Haruka would care.

"I guess I should have expected an artist like you to catch that." Haruka whispered back, though she looked a little pale.

"I do paint as well, and I have studied the human body as part of my education." Michiru leaned back enough to offer the other woman a warm smile. "I knew the first day I met you, I've just been trying to figure out why your family was determined to make everyone believe otherwise."

"That's a very long story Michiru." Haruka sighed and hung her head a bit. Though her color had gone back to normal she didn't seem interested in her food anymore. "Maybe we can talk about it another time."

"As long as you promise to explain." Michiru responded with a playful tone in her voice. Finally, teal eyes came back up to meet Michiru's blue eyes and Haruka smiled weakly at her.

"I'll promise if you'll share your plans." Haruka shot back in her own playful voice.

"Well, our parents agreed that I would marry a Tenoh heir, but they never agreed it would be the first born." Michiru saw Haruka's eyebrows both go up in unison at this and she could not help giggling a bit at the surprised expression.

"Wait. What are you suggesting exactly?" Haruka was turning the statement over and over in her mind looking for some logical conclusion. Anything other than what she took out of it at first glance. The blonde started to trip over her own words as she shook her head. "I can't. . . I mean we can't. . . I. . ."

"Haruka, relax."

"Hiroshi and my Grandmother would never go along with it."

"I don't need them to, it's actually best if they don't." Michiru reached out and patted the blonde's hand reassuringly. "The choice is in my parents’ hands."

"Okay, what are you getting at?" Haruka's teal eyes had narrowed a bit as she settled on listening to what the other woman had to say. Whenever she tried to puzzle out what Michiru meant in her mind she could not seem to get past the word marriage.

"All we have to do is make it look like we are falling for each other." Michiru sat back and smiled as confidently as she could. "I doubt my parents would make me marry Hiroshi-san thinking that I was in love with his brother. They'd be convinced it would be inviting trouble."

"That still places you in an arranged marriage from what I'm seeing." Haruka commented off-handedly. She was waiting to see how this would improve things, aside from freeing the other woman from Hiroshi.

"Not really, as you said your Grandmother won't go along with it. She'll be afraid of my parents finding out the truth."

"So, she won't be able to explain to them why she refuses to let us be married." Haruka started to smile a bit as she realized exactly what the other woman's plan was. The race car driver could just imagine her grandmother's reaction if the Kaiou's were to decide their daughter was best with the young blonde. The ensuing argument probably would not be pretty once it got going. "So, our families end up in a deadlock on which brother the groom should be."

"Hopefully both sides will decide the whole thing is too much trouble and it will all be over in a few months." Michiru finished with a satisfied smile, confident that if the blonde saw it too then the plan had a chance. "And all you have to do for this to work is to be yourself."

"Oh, and what do you mean by that?" Haruka leaned her chin on one hand, elbow propped on the table as the artist leaned forward again. If possible Michiru's smile was more mischievous than the one she had graced the blonde with when they arrived.

"Just keep playing the charming host while your brother does his best to impress my parents. So far you've been the only Tenoh to take the time to get to know me." Michiru winked at her, something that Haruka would previously have assumed to be out of character for the young woman. "If anyone asks, you're just keeping me company, so I won't be bored."

"Which gives me a defense when my family starts to think I'm up to something." Haruka commented with respect for the woman's foresight. She frowned slightly as she sat back in her chair and aired the one worry that still nagged her. "You're banking a lot on your parents not just deciding I would make the caring brother you never had before."

"And on my own skills as an actress." Michiru leaned back and held up her glass with a smile. "So, just be you and leave the rest to me. Do we have a deal?"

"And if they choose Hiroshi regardless?" Haruka questioned with another raised eyebrow.

"Then I may need a lift to the airport at three in the morning one night, you'll be more than welcome to come along on the flight."

"Then I think we have a deal." Haruka finally agreed and lifted her water glass to click against Michiru's. "But let's hope this works."

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Published 2007  
Edited November 2020


	8. First Step

Chapter 8: First Step

The growl of a motorcycle engine being cut off outside the expensive mansion is what caught the attention of Suguru and Saki Kaiou as they waited in the den for the two riders. Suguru's blue eyes could already see that his wife had tensed, and he was silently willing this not to be another of the infamous fights between mother and daughter. Saki had promised to stay calm, but once the two were in the same place it was often anyone's guess what would happen next.

The door opened, Ichiro's quiet voice was heard and soon after two sets of footsteps approached. There was a pause, Suguru could just make out that Michiru's voice was whispering something but he could not tell what. He was also sure he had heard a quite reply come from Haruka before a set of footsteps seemed to trail off up the stairs. Saki was watching the door to the den as it slowly opened and their daughter entered, taking a moment to bow respectfully to her parents.

"Please have a seat Michiru." Suguru smiled at his daughter and indicated a chair beside him, across the room from his wife. The youngest Kaiou was doing her best not to seem hesitant about whatever it was that her parents wanted to talk about.

"Where were you?" Saki asked her voice still neutral for the moment.

"Haruka-san invited me to lunch." Michiru smiled slightly as she answered her mother. She did not notice her father watching them both and seeming to try to gauge things silently.

"You left a few hours ago." Saki pointed out, dark eyes narrowing slightly at her only child. She mentally bit her tongue to keep from sounding too accusatory. After a few moments of regarding the young woman she spoke again. "Where did you go to eat and what took so long?"

"We went to a small place down by the beach." Michiru started to almost feel like the whole conversation was a game of chess. That in mind she decided now was as good a time as any to start her plan. "Haruka-san had promised to take me for a ride on his motorcycle so after lunch we rode around for a while."

"You two seem to have been spending a lot of time together." Suguru pointed out, trying to interrupt his wife's soon to be interrogation. He sighed as he received a glare from his wife but focused instead on his daughter. "Some people may start to mistake you for a couple, if no one has yet."

"Haruka-san was being nice; he didn't want me to be bored and alone. He's been a charming host." The young woman smiled a little more brightly as she said this, and her parents exchanged another look. Saki clearly wanted to say something but Suguru again cut in before she could.

"So, he's just being a good host?" Suguru eyed his daughter in a slightly protective manner. For the first time in the entire conversation Michiru felt the under lying tension snap and laughed at her father's look. He raised an eyebrow and poked her shoulder. "If he hasn't I can talk to him."

"He's been nothing but a wonderful host father." Michiru hugged her father's arm, remembering her time in school. Her father had come all the way to her school one day after finding out a boy had made an inappropriate comment to her. He had barged into the office and demanded to speak to the boy himself. The boy had been so scared after that, though the school had not let Suguru near him that he'd never even looked her way again.

"So, if we were to pick Hiroshi-san tomorrow you'd have no problem with our decision?" Saki's voice held a measured tone and she watched how the comment sobered her daughter quickly. Michiru seemed to be thinking over how to respond to that comment for a few long moments.

"You haven't decided, have you?" Her voice was filled with mild worry and Saki raised an eyebrow at her daughter.

"I thought, Michiru, that you were against an arranged marriage all together." Mother and daughter watched each other again.

"I am." Michiru's expression became a cool mask of indifference as she spoke. "I'm still hoping that you'll change your minds all together."

"No decision has been made yet but maybe you could lend us your opinion." Suguru saw Michiru begin to smile lightly again as he said those words. He thought over his words carefully before he said anything. "We haven't spent much time around Haruka-san yet you two seem to be getting to know each other. How would you describe Haruka-san?"

"Charming, kind, polite." Michiru turned her full attention toward her father as she continued to speak. "He's been nice enough to drive me to anywhere I might need to go. He has been polite enough to invite me along to business parties and to get to know me. Overall, he's a very charming young man."

"Not to mention good looking?" Suguru commented in a teasing voice, expecting his daughter to deny the comment. He was surprised when Michiru looked away with a blush and nodded mutely to agree with the observation.

"Keep in mind that the choice is ours to make young lady." Saki spoke in a calm voice but Michiru was sure that a wrong word right now may set off the older woman.

"Of course, mother."

"I think that's enough for now." Suguru gently squeezed his daughter's shoulder and nodded toward the door. Michiru knew this was her queue to get out while she could. "I think your mother and I should talk."

Michiru stood, bowing again before she silently left the room. When the door was shut behind her she sighed in relief and turned toward the stairs. It did not take her long to make her way up the stairs to her guest room and she smiled at the blonde waiting for her there.

Haruka was lying on Michiru's bed with her head hanging off one side playing a PSP. Based on the sound of a police siren, what sounded like a crash and car engines Michiru'd have to guess it was a racing game. She sat down next to the blonde, who looked comfortable in a position that should not be.

"How did it go?" Haruka spoke quietly, turning the game off and shifting her teal eyes up to the other woman.

"Well, judging by their reactions and questions I would say that my mother thinks you are trying to seduce me, and my father thinks I would like to seduce you." Michiru laughed at the upside-down look of confusion she received. "They called me because they wanted to know where we went all afternoon."

"Did you tell them about our secret no clothing allowed beach party?" Haruka asked in an over dramatic voice as she set her PSP aside and slowly sat up. The young racer had to grab her head at the sudden change in blood flow.

"No, but my father did ask for my opinion of you." Michiru managed between the giggles caused by the goofier side of the blonde.

"And you said you were falling madly in love, but you'd been rebuffed by me as I already had a fan club president, right?"

"Haruka!" Michiru slapped the blonde's arm as said woman started to laugh. Michiru shook her head and sighed. "And how do I know you aren't the president of my fan club's Tokyo chapter?"

"Ah, I tried but they said the position was already filled I'm afraid." Haruka placed a hand over her chest and pretended to be deeply disappointed. "However, I consoled myself by merely buying a copy of every CD you ever released."

"Very funny." Michiru stuck her tongue out at the blonde who smirked and winked at her.

"But I really do have all your cds."

"I'm sure." Michiru stated in a very unconvinced voice.

"I'll prove it, just come to my apartment one day."

"If my father heard that he'd be convinced you were just making up a reason."

"What if I were?" Haruka laughed when Michiru slapped her arm again. Teal eyes met blue and Haruka's laugh died into a smile before she stretched and stood from the bed. She grabbed her PSP, making it fit in one of her pockets to Michiru's surprise. "Well, best I get out of here before your parents decide we require a shot gun wedding."

"Haruka." Michiru caught the woman's wrist for a moment and the blonde looked at her. Michiru smiled in return and raised an eyebrow. "Do you realize how much fun you can be when you're relaxed?"

"Thank you for the compliment." Haruka leaned down to bring her face close to Michiru's, smirking when this caused Michiru to blush again. "Normally I don't relax very much in this house, but your company has made all the difference Miss Kaiou."

Michiru was quiet as Haruka stood straight again and left the room. She hoped this plan worked. There was simply no way she would be sticking around to find out if Hiroshi had anything in common with his younger sister. Something told her that in a lot of ways the two were as different on the inside as they physically were on the outside.

"Master Haruka." Ichiro's quiet voice made the blonde jump just as she left Michiru's room. With a nervous smile she turned to face the butler, knowing that she would have a much harder time explaining why she was in the woman's room than why they spent so much time together. He did not seem about to comment, so the blonde took a few steps nearer to him.

"Yes, Ichiro-san?"

"The hospital just called for Master Hiroshi." Haruka raised an eyebrow at this, not seeing what it had to do with her. The butler sighed a bit deeply and continued. "Master Hiroshi left for the hospital over an hour ago, he hasn't returned yet they seem to need him there."

"Why did he leave earlier?" Haruka felt herself becoming suspicious again.

"He claimed they had paged him and left in a very cheerful mood."

"Wait, Hiroshi got paged to come in after his shift and left cheerfully?" Haruka blinked as she thought this over. "Did he even call them back?"

"No Master Haruka."

"Does Grandma know yet?"

"No."

"Good." Haruka turned toward the end of the hall and spoke over her shoulder to him. "I'm going to go find his car and make sure he's okay, see if you can keep this from getting to my Grandmother or the Kaious."

"Consider it done Master Haruka." The old butler started to turn and Haruka turned back herself.

"Wait, Ichiro-san." The butler turned to look at her again. Haruka smiled a bit nervously at him. "Can we keep the fact that I just came out of Michiru-san's room between us?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about Master Haruka." Without another word Ichiro disappeared down the stairs and Haruka grinned. The man had always reminded her of an uncle or a grandfather more than a butler. After a moment she sighed heavily and started toward her room in the attic.

"Hiroshi, what the hell are you pulling this time?" She muttered.

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Hiroshi looked out the cracked window of a second story room in the small house. The man's brown eyes watched the few people brave enough to travel this area after dark. Under a flickering streetlamp he could also make out the three men in leather jackets that leaned against his car, making sure no one would touch the doctor's Honda. Taka was still off but that only gave the man a bit more peace, without his old classmate trying to cheer him up.

"Why the hell did Haru have to come home?" Hiroshi growled to himself. He could remember vividly the conversation he and Maiko had regarding the blonde's return.

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Flashback:

Hiroshi was aggravated as he followed Ichiro into the den where Maiko waited. She was sitting in an old recliner with a cup of coffee in her hands as she watched him enter. Hiroshi, for his part, picked a chair and all but threw himself into it. He crossed his arms and jiggled his foot with an expression that clearly conveyed that he saw whatever would come next as a complete waste of time. He ignored how Ichiro pulled the den door closed and stood before it as if guarding them.

"We will soon be welcoming some very important guests, which means among other things that we will not be welcoming your personal guests." Maiko's voice held clear distaste for her grandson's choice of company. As the last word left her mouth Hiroshi was already rising to his feet with angry indignation stamped across his features.

"I am a grown man and I will not be told what to do by you or anyone else!" As the young doctor turned toward the door however he was halted by her next words.

"You most certainly well if you expect to live here as well as continue working at Tenchi." Maiko smiled as the young man froze in his steps, he couldn't see it, but he knew she was smiling. The old woman had one up on him if she was playing this card. "Sit back down."

"You can't do this; it's my right as the heir." Hiroshi tried to sound confident, but he felt as if his confidence were starting to desert him. "I have more right to be here than you do, as a Tenoh by birth."

"Young man, don't try me. First, your Grandfather left our family holdings to me alone, not to your father so until I die no one has any claim to anything." Her gray eyes seemed to be shooting daggers at him as he took his seat again. "Secondly, as I recall, you are not the only Tenoh heir left."

"What are you saying? Haruka left us and is out trying to get herself killed." His voice gained venom again as they landed on the topic of his only sibling. "Who would hand the hospital or any of the family holding to her?"

"I would in a heartbeat if you don't shape up." Hiroshi clamped his jaw tightly shut as Maiko said this, knowing full well the old woman had the legal right to do it if she so chose. Hell, she could leave the lot to Ichiro if she chose and there was nothing he could do.

"What do you want this time?" He ground out, feeling as if he would scream soon.

"As I said, we will be having some important family guests, so we need to set some ground rules. I called you here to tell you what is expected of you and what will happen if you don't do as I say." Maiko relaxed into her chair as Hiroshi's hand gripped the arm rests of his own so hard his knuckles were white. "Rule number one is that I do not want any of your friends with in ten miles of this mansion while they are here. Is that clear?"

"Yes." Hiroshi ground out through his clenched jaw muscles.

"Rule number two is that our guests are not to, nor am I to; find anything relating to your personal habit."

"I stopped that years ago." Hiroshi snapped but he knew the old woman still suspected him regardless. He would never live down his past, would never stop having it thrown in his face. What the hell had been the point of the year he had spent in withdrawal? No one in his family had taken notice; no, they had still watched him.

"I'm sure you did for a short time." Maiko waved off his defense without any care, she had stopped acting like she believed him years ago. Currently cold gray eyes locked on the young doctor and her voice held steel in its tone. "Regardless, if they so much as ask me about odd behavior from you, I'll make sure you have no claim to anything."

"Is there anything else your majesty?" The doctor shot back sarcastically.

"Yes, in fact there is." Maiko waved toward a family picture adorning one wall and her smile warmed a fraction. "Haruka will be returning for their visit as well, I need you both here."

"What?!" Hiroshi stood again and glared at her as he waved his arms erratically. "Why in the hell do we need her interference? Has she ever lifted a hand to hold up the family name? Has she once done anything for anyone but herself?"

"Sit down young man!" Maiko stood as well and held a look that left no doubt that she would not take much more from the younger Tenoh's mouth. "Unless you'd rather I sign everything into Haruka's name tomorrow."

"Don't expect me to treat her like a guest." Hiroshi muttered as he fell back into his chair again.

"What I expect is for you to treat her as your brother, just as we have done publicly for years." Maiko slowly eased into her own seat again and took a moment to calm herself before she continued. "Our guests won't be here to just take a vacation; they will be looking for a husband for their daughter."

"I don't want to marry some random woman so why should I care?"

"Because this was already arranged, they’re going to choose between the Tenoh boys. One of you was promised to them before your mother even died." Maiko shook her finger at the man before her. "By Kami Hiroshi if they choose Haruka I will disinherit you. If you want the hospital, then you'll be planning for your wedding soon."

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Hiroshi came out of his thoughts as a motorcycle shot quickly past the house. The men guarding his car turned their heads to watch it disappear down the street until it was out of sight. The doctor let out an aggravated growl and looked as if he was going to pull out his own hair. He knew he had to get this all over somehow; the answer just was not coming to him.

Haruka sighed as she slowly brought the motorcycle to a halt before a nice apartment building. The blonde had a hunch, and she almost hated the fact she had been proven correct as she pulled her helmet off and headed for the building entrance. Needless to say that an upscale apartment complex was the last place people expected to find the blonde as she was currently dressed. Heads turned as she calmly caught an elevator up several floors. The young racer caught a teen girl eyeing her in the elevator and grinned in a playful manner. For whatever reason, the girl turned bright pink and focused her eyes on the nearest wall.

Once she reached the floor she was looking for she got out and quickly strode along the corridor. There were few doors up here, being that each apartment was big enough to be a small one level house. She stopped before a particular door and pushed the doorbell set in the wall next to it.

"Who is it?" Called a timid voice after a brief pause.

"Tenoh Haruka." The blonde answered and grinned widely when the door swung open and she found herself standing before a young woman roughly a foot and a half shorter than her. The seventeen-year-old adjusted her reading glasses so that her blue eyes could look over them to take in her guest's appearance.

Haruka stood before her in black boots with exposed metal protection on the toes; they came up her calf with several metal clasps to secure them. For pants the blonde wore an older and slightly faded pair of black slacks with a chain hanging out of one pocket attached to her belt, the buckle on which clearly showed a skull and cross bones. Her jacket, all black and designed to protect the rider from road rash, was unzipped to show a black t-shirt bearing another skull and cross bones. To cap it all off her hands were covered in black gloves that had small metal plates on them.

"Why are you dressed like that Haruka-sama?" Tumbled out of the girl's mouth before she could get over the shock.

"Good evening to you too, Ami-chan. How are you?" Haruka's grin became a sadistic smirk when the blue haired high school student before her turned bright red and muttered an apology. The blonde took some pity and shrugged off the apology. "It's okay Ami-chan, I was just out doing a bit of night recon."

"And what exactly brought you to our door, Haruka-kun?" This question came from an older woman as she walked out of the living room holding a thick book. Her keen blue eyes, hidden behind her own customary glasses, gazed warmly at the young woman on the step. "You don't look like you've been in any sort of accident? Is Tenoh-sama alright?"

"My grandmother is fine Mizuno-sempie, but I'm afraid I need a favor." Haruka gave Ami a helplessly apologetic look before turning her full attention toward the older Mizuno. "I need you to take care of something at the hospital."

"Haruka-kun, you know my days off are few and at times very far between." The doctor raised an eyebrow in question at the blonde. "And I'm sure that you've been informed that I now only allow them to call me in on such an occasion if it directly affects your family."

"I'm aware Mizuno-sempie, and it does." Haruka bowed her head as she continued with a sigh. "I'm not sure what Hiroshi's field is but the hospital has been trying to get him."

"He's disappeared again hasn't he." The statement was followed by a sigh and Doctor Mizuno turned to set her book down on a small table near the door. She began to walk down the hall as she spoke. "I'll get my keys, but I would appreciate if you'd keep Ami-chan company while I'm gone."

"Um." Haruka unintelligently looked back toward her seventeen-year-old charge and scratched her neck nervously. After a moment she smiled and offered Ami her helmet. "I hope you don't mind coming by the mansion for a while. We have company and if Hiroshi and I both disappear Grandma Tenoh will be on the war path."

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Haruka's statement was not entirely incorrect. As she entered the house followed by Ami Mizuno they were stopped. Ichiro looked at them for a moment, Haruka knew exactly what had happened, it was dinner time and the old butler had been stalling for her return. Ichiro, for his part, welcomed Ami and politely took her coat and the helmet as Haruka raced wordlessly up the stairs to change. The man blinked, since the blonde was gone so quickly it was almost as if she had never stood before him.

Inside the dining room Maiko was getting slightly impatient as she had been waiting for her grandchildren for a little over ten minutes. She'd found out from the Kaious that Hiroshi had been summoned to the hospital, but no one seemed to have any idea where Haruka had disappeared to. Or at least they did not until Ichiro led Ami in and pulled out the chair next to Michiru for the teen.

"Master Haruka has returned with a guest." Ichiro announced as Maiko looked surprised. She quickly shook the surprise off and smiled to the nervous teen now sitting at the table with them.

"Ami-chan!" Maiko seemed delighted with this surprise and Ichiro thought to himself that this may just save the younger of his two masters. The oldest Tenoh looked around the table and nodded toward the teen. "This is Mizuno Ami; her mother works at Tenchi and is also our family doctor. Ami-san these are Suguru, Saki and Michiru Kaiou. They are close family friends and have been staying with us for a time."

"It's very nice to meet you." Ami spoke quietly and bowed a bit awkwardly in her seat.

"Ichiro, tell Haruka-kun that he should be quick with whatever he's doing." Maiko said when everyone had greeted the teen politely.

"I'm already here." All eyes looked up to see Haruka striding in the door with a slightly nervous smile as she bowed. "I'm sorry that I'm late, something came up that needed to be taken care of immediately."

"And what was that?" Maiko asked as Haruka slid into the chair on Ami's other side.

"My mother agreed to take an extra shift for a friend who had a personal emergency." Ami interjected as politely as possible and blushed at the five sets of eyes now focused on her. "She didn't want to leave me home alone and we happened across Haruka-san on his way home."

"After that I had to swing by their apartment long enough to get Ami-chan's schoolwork and a change of clothes." Haruka looked to Maiko for permission. "I was hoping she could use one of the guest rooms as her mother may be at the hospital all night."

"That's fine." Maiko visibly relaxed and seemed to let things slide once again. Haruka breathed a mental sigh of relief for the fact that her grandmother had always liked the young genius next to her. Haruka would go so far as to say that Maiko even viewed Ami as a third grandchild. Haruka still remembered how worried her grandmother had been the day Doctor Mizuno went into early labor. Haruka's poor father had been forced to get up at an odd hour of the morning, along with his two children, in order for them all to ride down to Tenchi. Even ten-year-old Hiroshi had seemed pale with worry as they followed their father around the small gift shop looking for flowers and a teddy bear.

The conversation at the table turned again to the hospital, its business workings and medical equipment. While Haruka and Michiru did their best not to appear alternatively lost or bored young Ami took it all in with clear interest. In fact, soon she was taking part in the discussion herself and causing the two young women to either side of her to be impressed with her clear knowledge. No one, aside from Maiko, expected someone so young to already know so much about the medical field or about Tenchi itself. Haruka grinned, and then winked at Michiru over the teen's head. In return she received a curious look.

Ichiro slipped out of the room as the house phone rang. He answered in a professional tone.

"Hello Ichiro-san. Are Haruka-kun and Ami-chan there?"

"Yes Mizuno-sempie." The man heard a sigh of relief and could picture the doctor shaking her head. "Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just that I'm sure Haruka-kun must have broken a number of laws to get back so quickly." There was a pause before he heard what sounded like a small alarm going off somewhere in the background. "Well you please let them know that I won't be able to leave the hospital until morning?"

"Of course, Mizuno-sempie."

"And I hope that it's okay for Ami-chan to stay there tonight, I really don't want her to be a burden."

"It's taken care of Mizuno-sempie. Tenoh-sama was quite happy to see her."

"Thank you, Ichiro-san, please tell them I say thank you."

"I will. Good night Mizuno-sempie."

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Published 2007  
Edited November 2020


	9. Some Things Never Change

Chapter 9: Some Things Never Change

Haruka stood a bit rigidly as she heard the door of the mansion's library shut behind her. Maiko Tenoh took a seat in the comfortable brown armchair nearest the door and waved her granddaughter toward the antique wooden desk which sat a few feet away from it. Without a word the blonde slowly walked over and sat in the wooden chair behind the desk.

"Where did you go after lunch, Haruka?" Maiko watched the blonde as she grimaced. The eldest Tenoh held up a single hand to stall her grandchild's words. "The next words that come out of your mouth need to be the truth. Do not lie to me."

"Of course not, Grandma." Haruka raised her teal eyes to meet a set of gray eyes gazing into her own.

"Do you know where Hiroshi is?" Maiko smiled as she watched Haruka flinch. She could easily tell that her granddaughter knew something. "Where is he?"

"I know where I found his car, but I'd rather not say." The blonde's eyes shifted toward the top of the old wooden desk. "To be honest I have no way to even know he was anywhere near his own car."

"I'll give him twenty-four hours, if he isn't back by then I expect you to answer." Maiko sighed thinking to herself how different the two siblings were. There was a time when she would have called them both her pride and joy, however that had passed years ago. It seemed that whenever a Tenoh hit high school she suddenly failed to understand any of their reasoning from then on. Gray eyes watched as Haruka relaxed a bit into the chair again and Maiko smiled. "Where were you?"

"I went looking for Hiro." The blonde started to rub her temple as if she had gotten a sudden headache. Just thinking about how badly this discussion could go made her flinch. "That was when I spoke to Doctor Mizuno."

“Was it?" Maiko eyed her grandchild and almost laughed. Her grandchildren always seemed to underestimate her, thinking that because they did not say something, she would not see it. No, Hiroshi was clearly up to something and to spite how badly he had treated his sister she was still protecting him. This was not a surprise; this was always how the two had been. Teal eyes came up again and Maiko could remember Haruka as an eight-year-old girl.

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Flashback:

Maiko Tenoh slowly took a seat in her den, enjoying her day off immensely. At seventy-one years old she was the oldest member of the Tenchi Hospital board, but she'd sooner go to a retirement home than allow a group of forty-year-old men to cart her out of her position. She slowly reached for the novel she kept beside her favorite chair and froze when she felt the cloth of a bandana instead.

Maiko turned her head and slowly lifted the bandana from the table. What she found were the remains of a porcelain doll. She sighed heavily and stood, calling out for Ichiro and a maid.

"Clean this up before Haruka cuts herself on the shards." She ordered the maid before turning to the family butler. "Bring Hiroshi and Haruka down here."

"Master Hiroshi is currently out." Ichiro informed her, and then left to retrieve Haruka as he received a small nod from his mistress. It was not long before Haruka, still in her baseball uniform minus the cleats appeared in the doorway. The maid passed her quietly and Haruka paled as she saw what was in a dustpan the woman carried.

"Where's Hiroshi Grandma?" Haruka asked seemingly out of nowhere. Maiko raised an eyebrow and held up the red bandana she had found.

"I don't know Haruka." Maiko saw little teal eyes widen and knew she was onto something. "Can you explain this to me?"

"It was an accident." Haruka fidgeted a little and looked toward the ground before she spoke. "Gomen. I was playing with my bat inside and it hit your doll."

"Are you sure that's what happened?" Maiko watched her granddaughter nod and sighed. She knew it was not the full story; however, she also knew that Haruka was not going to tell her what fell between the bat and the shattered doll. "Go to your room Haruka. I want you to pack all your baseball equipment neatly into its duffle bag. I will send Ichiro up for it later and it will stay in the garage from now on. Am I clear?"

"Yes Grandma." Haruka was dismissed and she left the room silently. Ichiro, having stood silently near the door, cleared his throat softly.

"What is it Ichiro-san?"

"Haruka did not break the doll Tenoh-sama." Ichiro stood straight as he spoke. "Master Haruka did carry the batt into the room swinging it slightly as Master Hiroshi followed. I looked in on them a few times to make sure they were alright."

End Flashback:  
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Maiko shook away the memory as she heard her granddaughter's worried tone. Her gray eyes looked up to the blonde woman now kneeling near her feet and she smiled warmly as she patted the twenty-two-year-old on the head.

"You'll never change, will you Haruka?" Maiko laughed when all she received in answer was a clearly confused look from the younger Tenoh. After a moment she leaned forward to give her granddaughter a slightly awkward hug before waving her hand dismissively. "Go to bed, or whatever it is you do at night. I'll never understand why people your age don't sleep when they should."

"Good night Grandma." Haruka stood and left the room. When she shut the door behind her she let out a heavy sigh. Maiko Tenoh was not a young woman, though she had always seemed to be to her granddaughter. She had learned to catch from the old woman, been taken to play basketball and spent several of her youngest years talking the woman's ear off. It scared the blonde to see how much the woman had changed since her father's death. Somehow, that eternal seeming fire was dimmed.

Haruka was distracted from her thoughts when she heard another door shut further up the corridor. The blonde looked over only to find Michiru standing outside the door of the den looking as if she had just stepped out of a war zone. Haruka noticed the young woman's eyes were closed and she could not help the mischievous grin on her face. Everyone in this mansion could use a day off before they finally just snapped from all the different forms of stress. With that in mind, Haruka walked over to the other young woman as quietly as she could and slowly reached around to cover her closed eyes. Michiru flinched at first and Haruka bit her lip to avoid laughing.

"Guess who." The blonde whispered playfully and felt the other young woman relax considerably.

"Ichiro-san?" Michiru guessed, though Haruka could hear the barely contained amusement in her voice.

"Strike one."

"Hiroshi-sempei?" Michiru tried again and Haruka laughed a little. She leaned a bit closer and whispered near the violin player's ear.

"I think you just insulted me Kaiou-san."

"Oh, then it must be Mizuno-san." Michiru said, barely holding in her laugh as Haruka laughed at the mental image of Ami standing with Michiru like this. The poor girl would not have the self-confidence around someone she'd barely met. Michiru spun to face the blonde, placing a hand over Haruka's mouth to muffle her laughter. Teal eyes met blue and Michiru tilted her head to the side. She grabbed the tall blonde woman by the arm and started to lead her off down the hall. "Do you want my parents to come out here?"

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"Suguru, what are you looking at?" Saki arched a brow toward her husband who was now peering through a crack in the door with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Do you want my parents to come out here?" He heard Michiru whisper as she led the youngest Tenoh heir down the hall. He heard Saki stand so he closed the door again and turned toward his wife with as innocent of a look as he could manage.

"Nothing, but I have been thinking." Suguru fiddled with something in his pocket as he spoke, a nervous habit that did not escape his wife's serious brown eyes. She waited for him to speak again and frowned when she heard his next words. "We really should get to know Haruka-kun a bit more if we want to make a fair choice, don't you think?"

"Suguru, he races cars for a living." Saki sat back down and shook her head as if that alone should remove the man from the list of possibilities. "Instead of using the opportunities being born into such a well-connected family afforded him he chose to get into a career field that's dangerous and mostly dependent on luck."

"Actually, there's a lot more skill involved in professional racing than most people think." Michiru's father took his own seat again and thought back on the races he had seen on TV. "It seems to take a lot of practice and concentration to negotiate any track at speeds that high. Just imagine how much skill it would take to pass other cars at well over a hundred miles an hour."

"I'd rather not." Saki replied dryly and shook her head. "He's a thrill seeker and his job will keep him on the road and away from home for most of the year I'd imagine."

"But so does Michiru's." Suguru pointed out and saw a frown creasing his wife's brow. Suguru took another shot at that point. "In fact, maybe her manager can work it out so that her concerts fall during the season, they could have time off together."

"Or perhaps if she becomes fond of Hiroshi she'd be more likely to settle down herself." Saki replied without missing a beat as she looked at her husband suspiciously. "A doctor or a race car driver? Why on Earth should we even consider binding our daughter to someone who may leave her a widow from a normal day at work?"

"Because he's been making her smile." Suguru said simply and saw how his wife just paused. It was clear she was replaying their stay in the Tenoh home now and his smile was just a bit smug for taking notice of the fact before she did. "Hiroshi gets along well with us, he seems to be a competent doctor and he is set to inherit the family hospital. The question isn't if he's a respectable young man, but is he going to make our daughter happy?"

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Ami felt oddly as if she had landed in the middle of a strange game of chess. Though she had enjoyed the conversation over dinner she had a feeling that Haruka had left out something especially important about her house guests. She was not surprised when Michiru and her parents disappeared into the den after dinner. She was less surprised when Ichiro stopped Haruka in the hall at Maiko's request. The young blue haired honor student however had the luck to practically have been adopted by the Tenohs, so she knew the mansion almost as well as they did.

Ami came to the door she was looking for and paused, knocking just in case though she knew Hiroshi was not home. Even if he were, she very much doubted he would have entered this room. As she opened the door and switched on the lights, she took comfort in the familiar feel of the old office itself. Though its owner had passed away at least a year before she could still detect a distinct sent of pipe tobacco and after shave.

Bookshelves lined the east and west walls; a window took up the south wall opposite the door though the heavy brown curtains were drawn shut. A heavy wooden desk sat before the window with a heavy wool coat hanging over the back of the chair and an empty pipe resting lightly on top of the desk. Aside from some missing books, ones the teen knew now resided in Haruka's Tokyo apartment, his office was unchanged from the way Yoshi Tenoh had left it. Ami had spent several visits to the mansion either reading over the extensive collection of history books and mystery novels or studying history with the man himself at that desk. She had always been grateful to know that she had not only her mother to ask about science, but the ever-friendly Yoshi to ask for help in history class. The man had taken it on himself to put his bachelor's degree to work teaching the doctor's daughter world history and correcting what he called "political history rewrites" taught in Japanese schools.

Now the office was the closest she could come to speaking with the man again. He had been like an uncle or surrogate father to her and knowing he was gone just increased her urge to seek out this room. To feel just a little closer to days past.

"How did I guess I'd find you here?" The voice startled Ami for a moment and the teen spun to face the door. Her heartbeat slowly returned to normal when she found Haruka standing there smiling at her instead of the disembodied spirit of Yoshi Tenoh himself. She took a few calming breaths and pulled her computer bag a little higher onto her shoulder.

"Haruka-san I think you scared her half to death." The female voice behind the blonde reminded Ami that she was not the only guest to the Tenoh household. It was a first for her, as the Tenoh's rarely had guests over for purely social reasons.

"Sorry Ami-chan, I didn't realize you hadn't heard us walk up." Haruka stepped inside and Ami was able to see again the young woman behind her. The teen seemed to tense up a bit as she looked to the woman still standing in the doorway and she bowed a bit quickly.

"Good evening Kaiou-sama." Ami greeted, half afraid her voice would crack. Haruka had a smirk on her face showing she was clearly amused by the whole scene.

"Just call me Michiru, Mizuno-san." Michiru smiled and the young girl before her nodded mutely for a moment. Ami jumped again as Haruka slung an arm across her shoulders and looked at Michiru.

"Just call her Ami-chan; she's just a bit nervous." The blonde provided for the shy teen. Ami nodded slowly in agreement with the blonde next to her.

"Why so nervous, Ami-chan?" Michiru stepped into the room, smiling warmly toward the teen. Instead of an answer the now somewhat red teen unzipped a pocket of her computer bag and withdrew a CD case. A moment later Michiru was able to make out that it was one of her own albums.

"She has a lot more of them at home." Haruka provided before releasing Ami's shoulders and sighing. The blonde sobered a bit as she looked around the office, its lighting casting a yellowish atmosphere that seemed perfectly suited to a writer. It was not very surprising once one noticed that a few shelves were filled with what looked to be hand typed manuscripts. "I haven't been in here for a long time."

"Whose office is this?" Michiru slowly strolled over to a bookcase and started to read over the various titles held by it.

"Yoshi-sempie's." Ami provided. Michiru paused and looked toward Haruka for clarification but the blonde seemed to have spaced out near the desk. She had picked up a pipe and seemed to be examining it for something no one else could see. Ami noticed Michiru's slightly confused look and walked over to stand beside her. Quietly the teen clarified her statement. "Yoshi Tenoh was Haruka-san's father."

"He spent loads of time in here or out front." Haruka suddenly spoke again and they both turned their attention back toward the blonde. "His favorite things to do were read, study and tutor Ami-chan. He loved to encourage us all to read, but Ami-chan took to it more than Hiroshi and I."

"It still smells like his tobacco in here." Ami remarked with a small smile as she closed her eyes and imagined the man sitting behind the desk with his bright teal eyes running over the pages of an old textbook. "It wasn't a healthy habit."

"No, but I doubt either of us will ever be able to smell cherry tobacco without remembering something about him." Haruka set the pipe down and turned to face them as she leaned against the desk. With a sigh the blonde swept her bangs from her face in a gesture that was meant to cover any emotions the room they were in had brought on. "I was hoping to give you two a more informative introduction than one you received at dinner."

"Ami-chan, you already know who Michiru-san is but not why she's here." Haruka paused here as if trying to decide how to word what she was about to say. After a few moments she just gave in and went with the simplest way she could think of. "Her parents are here to decide who she should marry."

Ami blinked before she walked over to the door and slowly looked down the hall to either side. Once she was satisfied that no one was near by she gently closed it and turned back to look at Haruka herself. Again, there was a strange pause as the older two just watched the teen, waiting for whatever reaction she would give. Ami composed herself and seemed to review what facts she had in her mind.

"They're here to choose between yourself and Hiroshi-sempie?" Ami questioned for the sake of clarification. Haruka nodded in confirmation and the teen paused only a moment before she could word her next question. There was an uncertain look on her face even as she spoke though. "Are they aware of your condition?"

"You mean my gender?" Haruka laughed lightly as Ami's eyes widened and shot over to watch Michiru's reaction. Instead of whatever she had been expecting she noticed that the graceful violin player was giggling though she tried to hide it. Ami's blue eyes came back to land on Haruka as the blonde calmed down. Teal eyes turned toward Michiru and the blonde smirked playfully. "Michiru-san, are you aware that I am not a man?"

"Of course not, Haruka-kun." Michiru replied playfully. She giggled again but took some pity on the teen that now seemed to be confused. With a warm smile the young violin player spoke to the teen. "I knew Haruka was female when I first met her, but no my parents do not. As far as I know they haven't noticed any hint of Haruka's real gender."

"Then why haven't you told them?" Ami looked back and forth between the two, clearly still confused at the current situation. She was clearly trying to make sense of the situation that was presented to her but seemed to be coming up dry. "Haruka-san, what are you going to do if they choose you?"

"I'm not really sure, maybe I'll take a vacation as a reward for playing my part well." The blonde smirked as Ami's blue eyebrows seemed to both raise another centimeter at this comment.

"You want them to choose you?" Ami looked to Michiru and didn't see a single trace of surprise, so she was caught off guard a second time. "You both want them to?"

"That's pretty much the plan." Haruka confirmed. She watched the teen, trying to not take too perverse of a joy in watching how the young genius was exercising quite a few brain cells to make sense of the input. After a few moments of complete silence Ami walked over to Haruka and held out her hand in a profoundly serious manner.

"Congratulations Haruka-san. To be honest, I never thought you would settle down." Ami smiled even as Haruka suddenly began shaking her head.

"No, no, no." Haruka waved Ami's hand away and shook her head, looking to an amused Michiru for help and receiving only a smile. The blonde lightly shook both of Ami's shoulders as she spoke. "You've got it all wrong; we're just putting on a show. You know how Hiroshi is; I can't let someone like Michiru get tied down to him!"

"Don't listen to her; she's just getting cold feet." Michiru strode over with a mischievous look in her blue eyes as she approached. When she was beside them, she gently turned Haruka's face to look at her, meeting confused teal eyes with warm blue as the blonde's arms fell limp. Ami started to smile and took a few steps back as Michiru loosely wrapped her arms about the blonde's neck and leaned close to her ear. "Why so shy koi?"

"What?" Haruka felt Michiru's breath washing over her ear and failed to suppress a shiver that ran down her spine. She was confused, thoroughly and completely. A few minutes ago, as she had explained who Ami was to the violin player, she'd felt completely in control but now the tables turned. The blonde felt like the world had suddenly inverted and she no longer knew which way was up. They were just pretending, right? It was an act, wasn't it? Was this part of it? Haruka looked into blue eyes so close to her own and she was not so sure anymore. She was not so sure why she was doing this. Was it really just to help a friend? Was Michiru her friend? Was there another reason? "I. . ."

"Is something wrong Haruka?" Michiru asked, gazing in apparent concern toward the blonde as she took a step back. Now the violin player's hands rested lightly on the race car driver's shoulders and the blonde looked utterly and completely speechless. She tried to say something but Michiru leaned ever closer and her mind went blank. She could not remember what she had been thinking a few seconds before. Michiru was dangerously close now.

Then a giggle escaped the violin player and she winked at the blonde. Haruka did not know her well, but something told her what just transpired was extremely rare for the other young woman. Michiru playfully pecked the blonde on the cheek and turned quickly toward the teen who had watched the whole incident with a blush across her cheeks. Haruka was still confused; she had no idea what had just taken place.

"What do you think of our acting, Ami-chan?" Michiru asked in a warm tone full of mischief. The teen smiled as her blush died down and nodded in approval as she eyed the older women.

"You were very convincing, Michiru-sama." Ami shook her head as the blonde finally started to recover.

Haruka cleared her throat and coughed a few times, doing her best to cover her embarrassment. Of course, Michiru was acting; they both knew what the plan was. They had discussed it earlier today. There was not any reason for either of them to think anything more or less of it, was there? Haruka looked up again finally when Ami asked a question.

"But what are you going to do when they find out Haruka-san is female?"

"It won't get that far." Haruka responded, getting the attention of the other two women. The blonde smirked confidently to mask just how uncertain her own thoughts had been seconds ago. "But can we trust you not to tell anyone?"

"Of course, Haruka-san." Ami paused with a slightly troubled look though before the matter could be fully settled. She seemed to think things over but after a few moments she shook her head. "I just hope you're both right about the outcome of this plan."

"Do I ever get into trouble?" Haruka asked confidently but in a split second's time she had her answer from both women in near unison.

"Yes." Haruka blinked and gazed at them for a moment. After a second she smiled sheepishly and laughed at her own expense.

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After everyone else had settled into their respective guest rooms Haruka walked Michiru back to her room. They stopped at the door and the blonde racer leaned against the wall casually.

"Are you afraid I'll get lost or do you just enjoy my company, Haruka-san?" Michiru smiled in a teasing manner and Haruka smirked back toward the shorter woman.

"Maybe it's a little of both." The blonde replied and was rewarded by a soft laugh from the woman standing before her. After a few moments Haruka stood straight just so she could lean close to the shorter woman and speak to her in a soft whisper. Haruka was close enough to catch a light blush even in the dark hallway. "Actually, I think there may be one problem with our little plan."

"Really?" Michiru raised an eyebrow as Haruka nodded and whispered again.

"I noticed it in the office." The blonde informed her and Michiru seemed to look even more quizzical at this. "Do you want me to show you?"

"Of course." Michiru replied without a second thought. The moment she said it she saw Haruka's teal eyes shift away for a moment, as if the blonde were rethinking her own words. She touched the blonde's cheek gently and waited until those teal eyes came back to her own blue eyes. "What is it Haruka?"

Instead of any verbal answer Haruka leaned forward and their lips met for the first time. The blonde closed her eyes waiting to be slapped or for someone to come scream at her. Instead she felt Michiru pause for a heartbeat, then two hands slid over her shoulders and two light arms draped across them. The blonde started to pull back, to ask a question, but the violin player tugged her closer instead. Haruka felt a sudden tingle shooting through her whole body, and even though something in the back of her mind reminded her they were still in the hall she could not make herself care about that. She let herself relax and wrapped her own arms around the younger woman's waist enjoying the still innocent kiss.

Finally, Michiru broke the kiss and smiled up at the blonde whose eyes were still shut. The violin player could feel nervous butterflies dancing in her stomach as she waited for those teal eyes to open. It felt like forever before Haruka did open her eyes and they met each other's gaze.

"I don't see a problem Haruka." Michiru stated calmly as she let one hand experimentally play with the short hairs at the back of the blonde's neck.

"You're okay with this?" Haruka almost winced at how surprised she sounded; all her confidence seemed to have gone out the nearest window. Even though she had acted on the emotions first the blonde was not expecting a good outcome, she never did. She swallowed down the voice of Hiroshi in the back of her mind, determined to not live by the past right now. She was not so naive to think that everyone in the world was straight and she was an anomaly, she had learned that was not true a long time ago. Still, the blonde's mind was spinning at the possibility that there was someone who might just accept her as herself.

"Are you okay?" Michiru asked worriedly as she noticed that Haruka was not just thoughtful she was pale. The tall woman looked as if she had suddenly come down with something even as she looked up into Michiru's blue eyes again. Haruka's lips moved as if she were about to speak but nothing came out. After a moment Michiru slipped one of her hands down to the woman's arm, the other opened the door in front of which they stood. Haruka followed soundlessly into the dark room beyond without noticing a pair of eyes watching the two.

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Published 2007  
Edited November 2020


	10. Progress

Choices:  
By: Haruka S. Knight  
Chapter Ten: Progress

Flashback:

Little Haruka Tenoh did not have a bad life, she lived in a mansion with her Grandma, Father, and brother. Her mother had fallen sick and died when Haruka was so small she hardly remembered her. Her entire life took place here on the grounds of the Tenoh estate, her friends for the first several years consisted only of her brother and the staff members. At the time, Haruka was not aware that was any different for anyone her age. In the morning, now that she was a little older, a private tutor would arrive to teach the young Tenoh how to read, write, do basic math, and other early lessons that her education would later build on. In the afternoons her Grandma, often with Ichiro’s assistance, would take her to outdoor portions of the estate to play catch, basketball, or when the little girl felt like it they’d let her run laps and time her. Haruka always loved proving she could go faster than she had the week before. Maiko often said her granddaughter was born with boundless energy, though young Haruka had no idea what that meant at the time. Evenings Haruka spent learning checkers and chess from her brother, reading history or mystery with her Father, watching baseball on TV with her Grandma, or sometimes learning to play the old grand piano. 

“How do the players get so good, Grandma?” Haruka asked, and Maiko affectionately hugged the girl sitting on her lap.

“They spend years playing before they become professionals, my dear.”

“How?” Haruka’s teal eyes watched as the batter on the screen struck out, and heard the commentator say the pitch had been a 152 kph fast ball.

“They play in college, and high school, and many even played in little leagues.” Maiko informed her, before tickling the girl. “Now, quiet down so we can listen to the commentator, little one.”

Haruka was a curious child, it was what led to her piano lessons, her chess games with Hiroshi, and to her father teaching her about history. She didn’t want to just know things were, she wanted to know why they were. When she wanted to run faster her Father got a book about running, and he’d help her read and understand it. When she’d fiddled with the piano, and asked Ichiro how to play it someone had been found to give Haruka weekly lessons. When she watched her brother and Father play chess, and asked why one piece moved differently than another, her brother took it on himself to teach her the game. Now that Haruka wanted to know more about baseball, she decided she needed to find a little league. If that was where the big players started, Haruka wanted to learn what they learned.

One Saturday morning the entire Tenoh estate was turned upside down. The youngest Tenoh, seven-year-old Haruka, was missing and no one could say they had seen her after breakfast. In her restroom, all the family members had their own, they found golden locks of hair scattered about the floor and a previously missing set of crafting scissors. A search of the mansion showed that her bicycle was also missing. That fact did nothing to ease the panic of nearly every adult in the mansion. Her family and staff split up, some walking and others driving, as they began to search the streets for the girl. It was Yoshi who finally located his daughter, at a park just outside their neighborhood, playing baseball with a group of boys about her age. Her blonde hair was messily cut and Haruka wore the clothes she wore when she played outside. Yoshi smiled, taking out his pipe and lighting it as he watched his daughter round the bases.

“Excuse me?” A man wearing a jacket with coach embroidered on it approached Yoshi. They exchanged a polite greeting, before the coach pointed at Haruka who was now waiting at second base for a chance to run. “Is he your son?”

“That’s my child, yes.” Yoshi answered cryptically but cheerfully, wondering what his daughter had been up to. “Loves baseball but has never had the chance to actually play it.”

“Wow, he’s honestly very good.” The man offered a genuine smile. “In fact, if it’s alright with you, we’d love if he could join our team.”

When Yoshi brought Haruka home and hour later, Hiroshi had a small fit as he scolded his baby sister for her disappearance. Haruka looked at the floor, as her father and Ichiro ensured all those looking for her were informed Haruka was safely home. Maiko waited for her older grandchild to run out of steam, before eyeing her granddaughter.

“What have you done to your hair?” Maiko asked, ruffling the very uneven blonde hair.

“The person on the phone said only boys can play on the team.” Haruka admitted, still afraid to look up at anyone. “I thought if I cut my hair they’d think I was a boy and they’d let me play too.”

“Team?” Maiko asked, moving her eyes to her son as Yoshi returned to stand behind his daughter. He rested his hands on her little shoulders and offered his mother an amused smile.

“This kid decided she wanted to play little league.” Yoshi informed them and Hiroshi groaned off to the side. “She called some sports store, who told her to call a community center. Then she got the address and times when teams were being selected and used a map to figure out which way to go.”

“Who taught you to read a map?” Hiroshi asked incredulously.

“Dad.” Haruka said matter-of-factly, causing her brother to cover his face with his hands and mumble about something no one caught.

“Well, was it worth scaring everyone in the mansion?” Maiko asked, giving the girl a stern look and crossing her arms. Teal eyes finally lifted to look at the Tenoh matriarch.

“They said I can join the team.” She offered and bit her lip at the scrutinizing look her grandmother was now giving her. “I really wanna play.”

“You can’t play on a boys’ team!” Hiroshi chimed in drily. “Plus, you ran away, you’re grounded.”

“That is not your decision, young man.” Maiko informed her grandson who sort of rocked in place as he swung his eyes to look at his Grandmother.

“But she can’t, and I mean, what else do you do when a kid runs away?” Hiroshi backed away a bit when his grandmother glared at him.

“Hiroshi, leave the room and close the door.” Maiko pointed to the door of the study they stood in. The boy muttered a clearly offended affirmative and left the room. Now Haruka was alone with her Father and Grandmother. “Haruka, your brother is correct that girls are not allowed to play on a boys’ team.”

“They don’t know I’m a girl.” Haruka said softly and received a questioning look. She didn’t realize it, but she pouted, wringing her hands in front of her as she begged. “Please Grandma! I really wanna learn to play and it was so fun! Please!”

“Yoshi?” Maiko looked up at her son, and something in his expression told her his mind had already been made up. She sighed, again reaching out to finger the terrible hair cut Haruka had given herself. “If I’m to have two grandsons I demand we get you a proper haircut. You will never cut your own hair again.”

Haruka practically launched forward to hug her Grandmother about the waist. At the time, her head basically came to Maiko’s stomach. Maiko returned the hug though she shook her head at Yoshi. Hiroshi was waiting in the hall when Haruka emerged and he asked what happened. When she told him the boy looked shocked and resigned. He muttered a prayer to Kami before telling Haruka the next time he got in trouble he was blaming her, because he said somehow, she never really got in trouble. Haruka looked at him full of innocence and just started asking a bunch of questions about how boys were supposed to act.

End of flashback

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“That’s how the male Haruka conspiracy started.” Haruka finished explaining and felt Michiru squeeze the hand she held. They sat on the edge of Michiru’s guest bed as they spoke quietly. “It’s less a true conspiracy then it was my Father and Grandma trying to let me do what made me happy. As I got older, I got involved in more activities, and I always just joined the male teams or competed in the male divisions.”

“Did you ever tell anyone?” Michiru’s voice was filled with gentle curiosity.

“I never really needed to, even once I convinced Grandma to let me attend school my enrollment had the incorrect gender, so I didn’t risk my teams finding out.” She shrugged and huffed a half-hearted laugh. “Honestly, I was happy when I no longer had to pull out dresses to wear or keep my hair long. I always just felt comfortable and at home as I am.”

“Oh, you have issues with dresses and long hair?” Michiru asked teasingly and the blonde turned those teal eyes to regard her again. A genuine smile came to her lips as she eyed the other young woman.

“They look absolutely gorgeous on you, Michiru.” The blonde tilted her head. “I have just never liked them on me.”

“That is completely fine.” Michiru smiled brightly at her. “You look dashing as you are.”

“I wish Hiro agreed with you.” The blonde sobered with a sigh, her mind coming back to her family. “I found out in high school that aside from my Father, and Ichiro, everyone had been assuming I would grow out of this act one day. When I started participating in semi-pro motorcycle racing my Grandmother was livid for months. Things with Hiro had been getting worse since probably around my junior high years.”

“Your Grandmother seems proud of you now.”

“You aren’t wrong, though she once told me that even if she hated my career, she respected how dedicated I was. Until your family arrived to visit, I had no idea she’d been keeping tabs on my win/loss records.” Haruka laughed softly. “I mean, she loves sports, but she never seemed to consider racing a sport. She once told me we were all just overgrown children with shiny toys waiting to die on the track.”

“That’s terrible.” The violin player sounded appalled but somehow the blonde seemed amused.

“She was angry that I refused to go to college at the time. My Father was entirely accepting of my life choices, but Grandma had always been clear that she expected Hiroshi and I to pursue educations which could uphold the family name.”

“That sounds so familiar.”

“Hiroshi wanted to be an artist.” Haruka told her slowly. “His last few years of high school they argued constantly. He had his eyes on a specific art school, one in America, and knew exactly what he wanted to do after graduation. He had an outline written for a series of graphic novels he was hoping to sell to an American comic company.”

“Was he any good?” Michiru asked this, trying not to sound skeptical. The young doctor she had met seemed so grounded, tired, and angry it was hard to imagine him as an artist. The blonde fished out her phone, opening an image app and then passing it to the other woman. Michiru slowly shifted through the images, noting Hiroshi’s signature on each. Detailed scenes depicting what appeared to be comic book battles, or figures in costumes a superhero would wear. Other images were filled with vibrant backgrounds, detailed depictions of rooms and landscapes.

“What do you think?” Haruka whispered into her ear. Michiru’s blue eyes remained on the images displayed by the phone.

“I think, she should have allowed him to go to art school.” She told the blonde. “I am not a comic artist, but I can clearly see the talent in these. Does he still draw?”

“Rarely. He posts these on a website, people can pay to download them. He still uses the same pseudonym he did back in high school, I follow him from an account with an alias.” Haruka saw the next question coming and answered before it could be spoken. “When I left home, he blocked my old account, I created a new one and I buy digital copies of everything he posts. It’s been less and less frequent as time goes.”

“Why didn’t he just leave?” She asked.

“The same reason you came here with your parents.”

“Family duty and trying to keep the peace?” Michiru sighed and returned the phone. “Am I correct to assume the Great Tenoh conspiracy did not extend to allowing you to have a girlfriend?”

“Never tried when I lived here. Honestly, I was so busy with school, sports, and racing I didn’t have time for it. I’d flirt, but that was it. Hiroshi found out I was a lesbian and made it very clear what he thought of that, he even went so far as telling our Grandmother and Father.” Haruka shifted uncomfortably. “Grandma basically refused to acknowledge or accept it, and later she made a few comments that I’d never settle down.”

“And your Father?”

“He wrote me an exceptionally long letter. He accepted it, though he advised me to be careful around Grandma. He actually said he was proud of me.” Haruka sighed. “I miss him. I haven’t felt comfortable in this house since long before I left, but Father would always try to make me feel at home when I would come by.”

“If you aren’t comfortable with this.” Michiru used a hand to indicate the two of them and Haruka jerked slightly in place. She caught one of Michiru’s hands, dropping a gentle kiss on it.

“Michiru, I am very comfortable with you.” They shared a smile. “And I’m looking forward to when we can both leave this house and . . .”

“Not be haunted by family demands and memories?” Michiru suggested and the blonde nodded her agreement.

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“Haruka-san, what do you have planned today?” Suguru smiled kindly at the blonde across the breakfast table. The blonde took a sip of her water, before giving her full attention to Michiru’s father.

“I was hoping to go out to the track for a few hours today.” Haruka shifted her eyes over toward her Grandmother who offered her a small, approving, nod.

“I would greatly enjoy seeing what a day in the world of a professional racer is like.” Suguru said this with enthusiasm that was not mirrored on his wife’s face.

“That sounds like an excellent idea.” Maiko Tenoh said, and Hiroshi nearly choked on his coffee. The young doctor had appeared at the breakfast table looking slightly ill this morning and had not spoken since exchanging a few greetings. He looked up with slightly bloodshot eyes, but whatever he was thinking he did not dare say it. “I’m sure Haruka can find a way to accommodate you.”

“Only if it isn’t an imposition.” Saki said, sounding like she was hoping to find a way out of her husband’s idea.

“It won’t be a problem, will it?” That question came from Michiru and the blonde turned to look at the beautiful woman seated next to her. Michiru smiled at Haruka and the race driver couldn’t fight a smile of her own.

“It won’t be a problem; I’ll make a call after breakfast.” She turned her teal eyes back to Suguru. “In fact, I could probably get cleared to let you take a spin around the track.”

“Don’t you dare.” Saki told her husband who was clearly considering that offer.

“Thank you.” Michiru whispered when conversation seemed to have turned to other things.

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Saki wrinkled her nose at the smell created by the high-octane fuels used by the various vehicles. Today was reserved for the team Haruka was signed to, so it was only the blonde, her teammates, and the various members of their pit crews. Haruka, and an American man named Green whom Michiru was already familiar with, led the Kaiou family about on a tour. Haruka’s crew chief greeted them all cordially and spoke proudly of the driver he maintained the cars of. They watched Green’s practice from near the maintenance pit, wearing borrowed safety gear and jumpsuits. Saki had a firm dislike of the jumpsuits, but they protected the clothes they each wore underneath. The speaker built into the earmuffs they wore to protect their hearing crackled as people spoke, allowing the visitors a rare window into their world.

“Bring it in Green, it’s Tenoh’s turn!” The crew chief said and there was a static ridden reply. The powerful car began to slow, using a full lap to slow before pulling into another pit area where Green’s crew descended on it.

“What are they doing?” Suguru asked and Haruka’s crew chief offered him a smile.

“They’re doing some checks, getting feedback from their driver, and prepping his vehicle for the autoshop. They’ll make needed adjustments based on how it performed during practice.” The man explained as Haruka literally slipped into her vehicle through the window hole on the driver’s side. The chief saw that the entire family watched the young racer do so with varying expressions. “They don’t have doors.”

“Why don’t they have doors?” Saki asked before squinting.

“In an accident a door can fly off or be disabled, their basically pointless on a race car.” He explained.

“So, in an accident they climb out the window!?” Saki sounded appalled but the man shrugged.

“Or we pull them out the window. Really depends on the crash. Sometimes they’re able to drive back to the pit and get out here.” He turned his eyes to the car as Haruka finished snapping the netting the covered her window in place. They were suddenly reminded Haruka also heard the channel in her helmet when the chief spoke to the blonde racer. “You good, Tenoh?”

“Ready.” Haruka responded, adding a thumbs up before returning her full attention to the vehicle. A couple mechanics jumped the wall out of the pit, clearing the Jersy barriers with practiced ease. The car gave a growl everyone in the pit could practically feel in their bones as it prowled smoothly out of the pit and to the starting line. Green joined them, having traded his helmet for a headset and dabbing sweat from his face, just as the starting lights began to change.

“You’ll enjoy this.” The American told them over the headsets.

“We just observed you do the same.” Saki commented, still not impressed with their trip today.

“I can’t hold a candle to Tenoh, this seems to be in his blood.” Green said. The conversation died as the car revved, and when the light flashed green it basically launched from the line. With no one else on the track Haruka was free to push the vehicle, to focus on only her vehicle and the track itself. The three Kaious needed no explanation to see that Haruka’s run was already much faster than Green’s had been. Haruka’s turns were so smooth it was as if the vehicle was flying instead of driving, and the whine of the engine echoed around the track.

“How fast is he going?” Suguru asked, with out really thinking. The crew chief looked at a laptop another person was manning.

“He just passed 328 kilometers per hour.” The crew chief said into his own comm. “How does it feel, Tenoh?”

“Beautiful.” Haruka’s one-word response came as he blasted past the starting line again.

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“So how fast can those vehicles go, Haruka-san?” Suguru asked over dinner that night. Hiroshi silently ignored the conversation and Saki still seemed ill at ease with the idea of any vehicle moving that quickly.

“An American driver named Rusty Wallace holds the record.” Haruka told him as she thought about it. “A few years ago, he got just over 348 kilometers an hour on the track in Talladega.”

“Were you aware there are an average of six crashes per race.” This was the first thing Hiroshi had said to anyone since they returned from their day at the track. The young doctor looked at Haruka with anger clear on his face. “Haru, you were in a crash last year, weren’t you?”

“My car has been hit a few times.” Haruka admitted, though the blonde did not sound at all worried. “Mostly small incidents, I can normally compensate for those with out even leaving the track.”

“But last year you wrecked.” Hiroshi pushed and the younger Tenoh grimaced.

“Yes, though I wasn’t seriously injured my car was out of the race after that.” The blonde admitted but apparently the elder Tenoh wasn’t done.

“And how did you leave the track that day, Haru-kun?” Hiroshi used a very condescending tone as he asked this.

“Hiroshi.” Maiko’s tone was dangerous as she spoke to her elder grandchild. “Do you have something to actually say, or are you in the mood for childish games tonight?”

“HE is going to get himself killed one day!” Hiroshi stressed the word ‘he’ as the doctor pushed to his feet. “Haruka was pulled from his car by track personnel, carried away from his burning car on a stretcher, and taken to the hospital in an ambulance.” After saying that Hiroshi stormed out of the room, leaving a moment of complete silence behind himself.

“How long were you in the hospital?” Michiru asked, reaching over to rest a hand on Haruka’s arm.

“Not long, they mostly took me as a mandatory safety precaution. The crash was very high speed, and I was conscious after but a little disoriented. The men who helped pull me out have to do so to ensure drivers aren’t left in a vehicle if it catches fire.” When the blonde admitted that Saki blanched where she sat. “I had some x-rays and got checked out, no breaks, no fractures, no concussion, just a good amount of bruising. I was released the same night.”

“That was quite lucky.” Saki commented with a stern look toward her husband. Only Michiru fully knew why her Father received that look.

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Haruka groaned, a pillow over her head as she lay on her bed after dinner. Michiru, looking about the blonde’s room and inspecting the items she found, giggled. The blonde muttered into the pillow, and while the blonde’s words were completely destroyed by the plush object the violin player could understand the tone.

“It wasn’t so bad.” The graceful young woman told her in a comforting manner. Blue eyes were currently inspecting a framed team photo, a younger Haruka stood among her teammates in a dark blue baseball uniform and white pants. “My Father was very impressed at the track.”

“I am certain your Mother hates me.” Haruka said, finally having taken the pillow from her face. Michiru turned and watched Haruka, who was still prone across the bed as if she’d been thrown there by some superior force.

“She hates your career; she doesn’t even know you.” She reminded, walking over, and coming to sit at the edge of the bed near Haruka’s side. The blonde sighed and teal eyes slipped shut when Michiru started finger combing her hair. “Given time she might see passed that.”

“And if she doesn’t?” The blonde asked. Haruka kept her eyes shut, but she felt Michiru lean forward until she was able to gently kiss her forehead.

“Then we resort to plan B.” The violin player reminded her; a slow smirk began to spread over Haruka’s lips.

“That’s the plan where we just run away together into the night, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Michiru said and giggled at the almost blissful look that caused.

“I like that plan. It’s a wonderful plan.”

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Notes:  
Haruka’s speed at the track was approximately 204 miles per hour, which was based off info about NASCAR. Speeds above 200 miles per hour happen frequently.

According to a quick search the current top speed record for NASCAR is 216.309 miles per hour (348.116 km/h) set at Talladega track on June 9, 2004. I didn’t find an updated one after that, but this story would be set roughly in 2007 when it was first written.


	11. Taka and Roshi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter, and it is not a happy one. I didn’t want to force too great of a mood shift by combining it with other portions. Please review.
> 
> Trigger Warnings:   
> LGBTQ+ youth subjected to threats or mistreatment by family.  
> Drug use.  
> Implied violence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter, and it is not a happy one. I didn’t want to force too great of a mood shift by combining it with other portions. Please review.
> 
> Trigger Warnings:   
> LGBTQ+ youth subjected to threats or mistreatment by family.  
> Drug use.  
> Implied violence.

Choices:  
By: Haruka S. Knight  
Chapter Eleven: Taka and Roshi

Trigger Warnings:   
LGBTQ+ youth subjected to threats or mistreatment by family.  
Drug use.  
Implied violence.

Flashback:

At 16 years old Hiroshi was usually a very responsible young man, known for his forethought and obedience. However, there were exceptions to every rule in this life. On this night Hiroshi thought that he had the entire mansion to himself aside from a few staff members. Haruka, Yoshi, and Maiko had left earlier that day to attend a tournament his sister was competing in over in Sapporo. The family was not expected back for a few days, with the teenage son being left behind because he still had school to attend. That was why Hiroshi had taken what he considered to be a calculated risk and had invited Taka over to spend the night. It seemed however that sometimes the gods themselves must simply hate to see Hiroshi happy. 

“What do you have to say for yourself, young man?” Maiko stared her grandson down once his guest had been escorted out of the mansion. Hiroshi could feel tears welling behind his eyes, but he firmly believed men shouldn’t cry. He choked down the overwhelming emotions as best he could and ignored the burning he felt in his throat.

“I thought you were going with Dad to watch Haruka compete.” Hiroshi managed to force out through the strangling sensation.

“That is immaterial, Hiroshi! What were you thinking?!” She slapped the side of his head and her tone was filled with contempt for her grandson's actions. The slap did not hurt physically, but the teenager would rather have had the physical pain instead of the emotional anguish.

“I haven't done anything wrong!” he insisted turning his brown eyes toward his grandmother in defiance.

“You haven't done anything wrong?! Ha! What do you call what you were doing with that delinquent in your room?! You are the only son of this household! It is your responsibility to carry on the family name, and to conduct yourself in a manner which does not bring shame upon this family!”

“Oh, now I'm the only son!” Hiroshi threw his hands up in exasperation. He was fed up with everything he perceived as the inequality of his home life. “Haruka is the one that you brag about and the one that you reward, allowed to do whatever “he” wants, and suddenly when I do something for myself, I'm a disappointment!”

“Your little friend is not welcome in my home!”

“Boyfriend.” he growled. His grandmother raised an eyebrow questioningly at him and he crossed his arms again trying to feed as much defiance into his expression as possible. “He is my boyfriend, not my friend.”

“I will not tolerate this, and you will choose tonight.” Maiko’s voice had dropped to an extremely dangerous, incredibly quiet tone. “You will do as I tell you or you can leave this house, and you will never be part of this family again. Am I clear?”

“Grandmother . . .” Hiroshi rocked back on his heels a bit.

“Am I clear?” Maiko’s eyes were cold, and it was clear there was no room for compromise on this issue.

“Yes, Grandmother.” Hiroshi lost the fire which had been burning in his eyes, and his voice dropped to a quiet tone of surrender. He did not look up as he was dismissed and made his way back to his room alone.

End Flashback

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“What did you think you were doing putting on that little show at dinner?!” Maiko sat in her old armchair, very much the way one might imagine a Queen would sit upon their throne, and glared at her eldest grandchild. “I would have thought it would be a simple request for the two of you to behave for a few short weeks but clearly you are incapable of even that.”

“Everything I said at dinner was true! I'm only pointing out factual dangers in the interest of everyone involved!” Hiroshi was shaking where he stood, angry in a way that he could not properly express yet holding back because he knew that completely losing his temper would do him no favors in this situation. “One day we're going to get a call that there's been a fatal accident on some track, and I refuse to go to the funeral if that's how this charade ends.”

“Oh, don't pretend that you're looking out for your dear sibling’s welfare.” Maiko treated her grandson to a very withering stare. “We both know your real nature. Few choices you've made have had anything to do with anyone’s welfare except your own. You always look after your own skin, Hiroshi, and you are fooling no one here.”

“If that's true I've learned it from you!” Brown and Gray eyes glared at each other with equal contempt from across the study. “You were always there to take care of poor little Haru, to make sure that everything Haru wanted Haru got! I watched out for myself! I took care of myself! And I did it all under your ceaseless demands for perfection and always, always, more sacrifice for the family good.”

“Don't be over dramatic, you've wanted for very little in your life.” She dismissed his accusations with a wave of her hand. “You have had the best education, the best clothes, and the best of everything we have ever given you.”

“Freedom of choice is all I ever wanted!” He yelled this, beyond caring about controlling his tone. “I wanted to choose where I went to school! I wanted to choose what career I would pursue! I wanted to choose how I would live my life and you never let me!” Hiroshi slapped his own chest as if to punctuate each of these points. His Brown eyes were filled with accusations as he stared at his grandmother. “You never let me choose anything. Even now you were the one who told me that I must impress this woman and her parents, or you will disinherit me! Marry her or else! I'm merely doing what you asked me to do!”

Hiroshi did not wait for a response, instead he stormed out of the study and slammed the door behind himself. Ichiro opened the door a few moments later to check on his mistress after the volatile heir to the house had departed. They exchanged a few quick words and the Butler departed to fetch a calming tea for the family matriarch, to help settle her nerves after the angry exchange. While she had an instant aversion to listening to anything which she perceived to be a temper tantrum from either of her grandchildren, she found herself needing time to think. While Hiroshi had certainly made his share of poor choices, and while those choices had complicated all of their lives, she did feel that perhaps she needed to give this issue more thought. She needed to reexamine exactly how much influence she had exerted over her grandchildren's lives.

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One of the perks of being a member of the Tenoh family was that Hiroshi had a better office than any other young doctors like himself. He had an office befitting his assumed future as a member of the board and the young man had no qualms about enjoying that perk as best he could. He was on call today, however he had no wish to be home, so he lounged on the couch that took up one wall of his office. His cell phone was to his ear as he lay across the couch, staring at the ceiling and imagining the face of the man speaking to him.

“She’s trying to make you get married?” Taka’s voice conveyed his disbelief. “Why now?”

“Some inane agreement between her parents and mine.” Hiroshi’s dark eyes scanned the ceiling as if he could will it to help him somehow. “The guests I mentioned are the woman and her parents. Her parents own a lot of shares in the hospital.”

“So, the old battle axe just wants to keep control.” Taka huffed into the phone. “Man, she can’t handle not controlling anything, can she? Bet your grandpa was a real fun guy too.”

“Don’t know, he died before I was born, and she doesn’t talk about him.”

“Do you want to do it?” Taka sounded unusually serious and that made Hiroshi feel like his stomach had filled with ice. A cold, hard, chunk of ice pulling him down from the inside out.

“Pretty sure she has a thing for Haru. That’s all I need, another person who loves Haru and resents me.”

“Ya didn’t answer, rich boy.”

“I don’t want to marry any woman, and I certainly don’t want to marry someone my Grandmother chose.” Hiroshi asserted in a vehement tone. “If I don’t though, I’m disinherited. No more hospital, she’ll probably find a way to fire me, and I’m sure I’ll be out of the manor. I still have most of my trust fund but after everything she’d just discard me.”

“Hiroshi, man, listen to me.” Taka’s tone was surprisingly soothing. “You do not need your family. You don’t need Grandma Battle Axe, you don’t need Haru.”

“Taka I don’t think you understand.”

“I think I do.” His tone had a hint of that eternal playfulness for just a moment, before it turned serious again. “You’re a doctor, a damn good one too. You did that, not your family. So, they pushed you into it, so what, you did the actual work. You want to keep practicing; the boys and I will set you up with an office anywhere you want. Pick a city, anywhere.” He let that hang for just a moment before he spoke again. “Or we could help you get back into that art of yours. A studio?”

“What are you talking about?” Hiroshi moved to sit up as they spoke.

“Leave.” Taka told him. “The hospital, the manor, the family, everything. We’ll help you, hell if you want, we’ll just take care of you. You haven’t got to do anything you don’t want to.” There was some sort of commotion in the background and Taka growled before he spoke again, with forced calm. “I gotta go take care of something but think about it, Hiroshi. Okay? I’ll hit you up later.”

Hiroshi heard the click as the call disconnected, and he moved his phone so that he could just stare at it. Leave? Taka made that sound so easy, like he could just walk away. Just wander off in the night and not come back. No more arguments, no more demands, no more infernal pager going off while he was drawing. He grimaced, dropping his cell phone on the couch, and moved to his wooden desk. He opened one drawer, moved a few well-placed items, and retrieved a box. From the box he pulled a mirror, a dime bag of powder, a playing card, and a small tube.

‘Just to take the edge off, give me some energy.’ Hiroshi told himself as he lined the speed up on the mirror. ‘I can quit any time I want; I just don’t want to.’

Across town Taka eyed his own phone for a minute, hearing a couple of guys rush about the house. He slipped the phone into his pocket, the chain hanging from his pants jangled a bit as he turned. Soon a well-worn, heavy, leather jacket with a bold red dragon settled across his shoulders. Gang members moved aside as he strode into the hall and made his way toward the main room, several moving to follow him. All told around 20 or so men and teens wearing dark leather jackets climbed into various vehicles as they left the house.

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Hiroshi Tenoh scrubbed up for surgery, listening as a nurse explained the condition of the patient on the table in the next room. He tried not to let his hands shake, he had probably taken too much speed, but he could not let anyone else notice it.

“Male, appears to be in his late 20s, with several puncture wounds and blunt force trauma.” The nurse read off the chart. “He coded in the ambulance once, but they got him back. He was in some kind of fight.” Other information followed, blood type, blood pressure, other things that the doctor catalogued in his mind in a very detached way.

They entered the Operating Room, the medical staff moved about like parts in a well-oiled machine. Hiroshi came to the side of the table and began to examine the problems with his own eyes. He issued instructions to a few other staff members and had just lifted a scalpel when he glanced toward the man’s face. It was an old habit, a weird wish to ensure the patient was not suddenly awake. The scalpel clattered to the floor, having slipped through his numb fingers as he caught sight of the man’s face. A curse left his lips as someone got him a clean scalpel, he snapped at someone else to get another of his fellow doctor’s he knew was in the hospital. When they hesitated, he glared and berated them harshly.

“Hang on, Taka.” Hiroshi muttered under his breath, as it became a bit harder to control the shaking. He turned to his work, because if he waited his friend would not be alive when the other doctor arrived.

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Flashback:

“You need to relax more, Roshi.” Taka whispered to the other teen, tugging him a bit closer by the front of his school blazer. Hiroshi’s dark eyes glanced at Taka’s lips, though he tried to keep his expression serious.

“You’re a distraction.” He told Taka who laughed, moving so that his lips hovered close to the other boy’s ear.

“Good, you need to be distracted, Mister Class President.” Taka whispered to him in that playful tone he liked to use with the serious young man. Hiroshi would never admit it, but he would follow Taka almost anywhere at the other boy’s request. Taka, did not push him, just nudged him occasionally. They had become fast friends, followed by something more those first two years of high school. The class president and the class delinquent. They both knew everyone, teachers, classmates, Taka’s fellow gang members, viewed them as each other’s charity case. Maybe even as each other’s pet, but that was not how they viewed each other. Taka moved back a bit, after all they were still in the school halls, and grinned at the other boy. “Show me what you’ve been drawing, I wanna see it.”

“Is that the only reason you came to school today?” Hiroshi asked as he turned away to start fiddling with his locker. Taka leaned on another locker, winking at anyone who eyed him for more than a moment.

“Well, and I couldn’t disappoint my class pres, could I?” Taka teased.

End Flashback:

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	12. Regret and Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings:   
> Drug use.  
> Alcohol abuse.  
> Hinted discrimination against LGBTQ+.  
> Character death.
> 
> There will probably only be one to two additional chapters after this one.

Choices:  
By: Haruka S. Knight  
Chapter Twelve: Regret and Consequences

Trigger Warnings:   
Drug use.  
Alcohol abuse.  
Hinted discrimination against LGBTQ+.  
Character death.

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Michiru heard a soft knock on her guest room door and set her violin gently aside with a curious look. Lunch had finished about 20 minutes ago, and she did not know who was looking for her. She opened the door and saw her father standing there with a trouble-making grin lighting up his face. Michiru could not help but smile as her Father whispered and clearly was trying not to be seen or heard.

“How would you like to escape?” Suguru asked his daughter. “Though we have to be quick, before your mother starts looking for me.”

“What did you have in mind?” Michiru asked quietly, already turning to grab her purse and phone.

“Frozen yogurt?” Suguru noticed his daughter was smiling even more brightly as she came to join him in the hall. 

Twenty minutes later found the father and daughter wandering through a local park with cold cups of frozen yogurt in hand. People dotted the park here and there having their own leisurely days. A gentle wind swept over the grass and pulled the occasional loose leaf from the trees. The weather was pleasant, though a bit cool as winter had not ended so long ago in Japan. Michiru felt like she was reliving some of her happy childhood memories of days out with her Father. The sound of children laughing as they played some game or other only coaxed those happy memories closer to the forefront of her mind.

“This is much better.” Suguru said, enjoying the sunshine and the fresh air as they strolled. The sun glinted off his dark hair, making the gray area almost appear silver to his daughter’s artist gaze.

“I’ve missed our outings.” Michiru admitted with a grin.

“I have too, princess.” He gently bumped his shoulder against her own, his tone taking on a very teasing tone. “I was thinking of trying to escape earlier, but someone has been a little busy with a certain young blonde man.”

“Haruka and I are friends, Father.”

“You like him though, don’t you?” Suguru grinned when his daughter blushed and averted her eyes. She seemed to watch a nearby fountain as the water lapped gently in it. “Are you still against an arranged marriage?”

“Of course I am!” That brought her blue eyes back around to meet her Father’s matching blue eyes. “This is all ridiculous.”

“If I’m honest, I told your Mother the same several times.” He saw hope flare in her eyes and gestured a bit helplessly. “Honey I have been trying to talk Saki out of this for about two months.”

“Why did you agree to this before?” She raised an eyebrow as her Father shrugged.

“Yoshi, Haruka’s father, and I were never very keen about this idea. Saki, Lin, and Maiko basically decided it and we just assumed they’d let it go before anyone came of age.”

“Lin?”

“Tenoh Lin, Haruka’s mother, was a very traditional woman. To her this whole thing made sense because she said she wanted to ensure her son would marry into a family with close ties.”

“I don’t even remember the Tenoh’s before this trip, that doesn’t seem close.” Michiru commented. They came to a bench and Suguru gestured for her to have a seat.

“Our families were close before you were born. Yoshi was my best man when I married your mother.” Suguru relaxed into his own seat on the bench. “He’d married Lin close to a decade before I married your mother, and they already had little Hiroshi who made an extremely cute ring bearer. The first mention of this arranged marriage idea came at the wedding reception, but it really came back up when Saki got pregnant. As I remember your Mother and Lin were pregnant the same year, though Haruka was born a few months before you were.”

“So, they made this arrangement shortly before we were born?” Michiru turned the thought over in her head.

“As I said, they’d talked about the idea for a couple years before that. Even leading up to the time you were born I think they intended you to marry Hiroshi, they didn’t mention Haruka very often.” He sighed. “Lin had complications giving birth to Haruka, and she never truly recovered from that. The more health problems Lin suffered, the more the Tenoh’s isolated themselves. After Lin’s funeral we really only got holiday letters and occasionally Yoshi used to call me.”

“What did he talk about?” She listened curiously as her father recounted things from both families she’d never heard before.

“Most of the time we spoke about current events or interesting historical facts. We also always talked about you kids.” He laughed. “Has Haruka mentioned he plays the piano? Yoshi used to tell me all about Haruka’s tournament wins, and Hiroshi’s science fair awards. He was immensely proud of them both, I hope those two young men know that.”

“Father.” Michiru met his eyes again and her serious expression sobered him as well. “I won’t marry Hiroshi, if Mother tries to insist, I will leave. I’ve been hoping she’d come to her senses about all of this.”

“To be clear, if I could talk her into choosing Haruka you’d consider it?” Suguru watched his daughter rethink what she’d just said and suddenly avert her eyes. He laughed and moved to hug her. “I’ll try to talk her out of it or failing that at least talk her into choosing Haruka instead of Hiroshi. I haven’t missed just which Tenoh actually pays attention to you, and which Tenoh spends all his time putting on a show.”

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“Haruka.” Maiko’s voice caused the blonde to halt mid step, she felt a mix of trepidation and amusement that her Grandmother got the drop on her again. “Come speak to me, dear.” Maiko’s tone, drifting through the slightly open door, sounded tired but welcoming.

“Are you alright, Grandma?” Haruka asked, as she pushed the door a bit and stepped fully inside the study. Maiko was sitting on the couch instead of in her normal chair, and she patted the seat beside her. Haruka closed the door and walked over to sit beside her Grandmother.

“Haru-chan, come give your old Grandma a hug.” Maiko Sounded very tired as if she were at the end of an exceptionally long day. The blonde was concerned but obliged her grandmother with a gentle hug about the shoulders, while wondering to herself what could have happened this time. “I wanted to talk to you about something and I need you to be completely honest with your old grandmother.”

“Okay.” Haruka’s tone was cautious and Maiko sighed, leaning against her granddaughter who was more than a head taller than her.

“You know that I wanted nothing but the best for yourself and your brother, don't you?” Her tone as she asked this was filled with unusual amounts of sadness. “I know there were times when I was hard on you both, but I only wanted to see you both succeed. You know that, don’t you?”

“I've always believed that.” Haruka hedged carefully around the answer and both heard and felt the elder Tenoh sigh in exasperation. “Honestly even when you were tough on me you were always far worse to him. Granted he's made some really bad choices, but I think he's been in pain for a long time.”

“We've all been in pain dear, not just him.”

“I know, however it always seemed like there was so much pressure placed upon Hiroshi. Pressure to move on, pressure about school, pressure about behavior. I could bring home C grades and he could bring B grades, somehow I would get rewarded while he got lectured.”

“Oh you're exaggerating!” Maiko began to dismiss the idea, shifting away from her granddaughter to lean against the arm of the couch instead. The blonde looked to her grandmother and raised an eyebrow in silent inquiry. For a few moments Haruka silently stared and Maiko ignored her with a stubborn aura about her. After the silence had apparently stretched for too long the elder woman turned her eyes toward her granddaughter again and met her gaze with less confidence. “Is that truly what you think?”

“You asked me to be honest and I am being honest. I can show you my grade cards, and I'm sure with some work I could show you Hiroshi's as well.” The blonde gave a helpless little shrug and a nervous smile. “I can't tell you what Hiroshi thinks, and I can't tell you what you were thinking, I can only tell you what it looked like to me.”

“I know very well what Hiroshi thinks, thank you very much!” She crossed her arms and sounded mildly petulant. The blonde beside her suppressed her urge to give an argumentative response. She was not sure what exactly had inspired this conversation, however if Maiko wanted to hear her grandchildren out, Haruka was not going to pass up the opportunity. 

“I know that you love us, and I trust that you would never intentionally harm us.” Haruka asserted this in the most earnest and calming tone she could. “However, I also don't think you will like knowing what either of us were thinking or feeling about our lives at the time.”

“You had a home, you had food, you had clothes, and everything else you could possibly need!” Maiko looked to her granddaughter, but she no longer seemed defiant, if anything she seemed nearly confused. She appeared to really be considering things. “I always thought that once you two were adults you would understand why I did the things I did. I thought that once you became adults, and had the responsibility that adults have, the two of you would look back and see that I had always wanted the best for both of you.”

“For my part Grandmother, I do believe you wanted what you felt was best for everyone. I can't speak for how Hiroshi feels. I do know, that were I in his shoes, I would feel slighted and angry.” Haruka allowed her eyes to drift over the various bookshelves in the room, almost afraid to meet Maiko’s gaze, as she spoke. “He loved his art so much, and it seemed like I was the only one in the house willing to listen to him about it. I never understood why he had to go to medical school instead of arts school.”

“Someone in the family needs to eventually join the hospital board.” Maiko Informed Haruka, though her voice sounded less certain than it would have making the same statement a few hours ago. 

“You don't have a medical degree and you have served as a board member for longer than I've been alive. Why did Hiroshi have to become a doctor to follow in your footsteps?” The blonde countered as neutrally as she could manage.

“He's meant to be following in your Grandfather’s footsteps.” She corrected the blonde again.

“Why did he need to follow in anyone's footsteps? I'm not following in anyone's footsteps. I'm not a historian like Father, or a doctor like Grandfather and Hiroshi. I didn't study business like you, and I didn't study child development like Mother. Why did Hiroshi have to take this path?”

“Haruka, I understood early on there was no taming you young lady. However, it is not the youngest child’s responsibility to carry on the family name, or to head the family business.” Maiko seemed to gaze off into the distance at something that was not there. They were quiet again for a few long moments, each looking at anything besides each other before Maiko sighed and spoke again. “Perhaps I could have listened more when the two of you spoke as teenagers, I only wanted what was best for all of you.”

“I know.”

“There is something else I wanted to speak about, or perhaps make clear.” Maiko locked her gray eyes onto an old photo on the table near the couch. Haruka followed her gaze slowly and saw an old family photo. Maiko stood in the center, Yoshi stood to her right with his hands-on little Hiroshi’s shoulders, and Lin stood to her left holding a baby Haruka. An image of happier times.

“What did you want to tell me?” Haruka asked, fully expecting some form of nostalgia or a tale about her mother from where Maiko’s eyes rested. She was not prepared for what Maiko actually had in mind.

“I want you both to be happy, I want you to be happy wherever you find that happiness.” There was a tone as Maiko said that, as if the words took energy to force herself to say, but they were also clearly sincere.

“I am happy, Grandma.” Haruka tried to reassure her Grandmother, feeling increasingly anxious in this conversation. “I love my career and living away from the mansion has been good for me.”

“Haruka.” The way Maiko said her name silenced the blonde driver; it was a very serious tone. “I think you are aware, though I don’t recall telling you, that I do not approve of certain lifestyle choices.” Here she paused, and though her gray eyes were still on the picture, Haruka could feel Maiko’s full attention on her. “However, I want you to be happy. I do not want you to spend your life alone.”

“I don’t think I understand what you’re saying.” Haruka felt numb to her very core, she had a theory on what Maiko meant and it was a subject the two never addressed.

“You were always such a stubborn child. You were so bright, so full of energy, adventurous.” Maiko laughed at some thought that crossed her mind. “You could rarely sit still, until you started martial arts.” She turned her gray eyes to regard her granddaughter again, giving her a very no-nonsense expression. “I always knew you were different, and I always knew there was nothing that would change that. Hiroshi I thought I could change, now I know I was wrong. The two of you weren’t born to fit some mold, you were born to defy the expected.”

“What are we talking about?” Haruka asked and saw a twitch of a wry smile briefly grace Maiko’s expression.

“You enjoy Michiru-san’s company, and I believe she enjoys your company as well.” Maiko finally cut to the point and Haruka felt a burning sensation in her throat. “She does not appear to be the type to kiss just anyone.”

“I . . .” The blonde was at a complete loss for words, she knew Maiko would not have come to that conclusion unless she’d seen them. She knew if she denied it she’d spark her Grandmother’s temper, but she also knew her Grandmother was very traditional when it came to such things. “I . . .”

“You aren’t listening, Haruka.” Maiko reached over and patted the blonde’s knee, nodding toward the picture again. “I have never expected you to be normal, you have always been something all your own. I made a mistake with Hiroshi some years ago, perhaps I have been making mistakes with both of you for years, but I only intended to guide you to happiness. I want you to find happiness, with whoever makes you happy, in your own way.”

“What?” The blonde took a moment to slow her breathing, to center her mind as she processed that message. She realized Maiko was uncomfortable coming right out to say it, but the message was now clear. Maiko knew, and had known for a while it seemed, that Haruka was never going to settle for a man. Maiko had accepted that, which was honestly something Haruka could never have seen coming. Also, Maiko had seen Haruka and Michiru kiss, and that rattled the blonde deeply. She could not properly explain why, but the idea of Maiko seeing her kiss anyone was thoroughly uncomfortable and embarrassing. Beyond all of that however was another concern, one the blonde could not leave alone. “What do you mean you made a mistake with Hiroshi? What kind of mistake would come up in this line of thought?”

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The world was filled with flashing lights. Red, blue, white, red, blue, white, yellow? Hiroshi shut his eyes against the lights and ignored the noise. He simply could not care anymore; the sounds were not truly processing anyway. Voices? Maybe. His world was confusing, he was dizzy, he was lost.

Flashback:

“Time of death.” The words echoed in Hiroshi’s mind, long after he slammed out of the operating room and discarded his bloodied surgical gown, gloves, and other protective wear. Staff members had scattered to make way for Doctor Tenoh as he strode back to his private office, where he locked himself inside and shut out the world. He could not shut out his own mind however, no one could truly shut out their own mind.

“Time of death.” His colleague’s words echoed again in his mind, as if the man stood beside him repeating himself. Hiroshi pulled his pager from his belt and hurled it against the far wall of his office. The device made a sort of snap sound, rebounded from the wall, and clattered to the floor in multiple pieces. Hiroshi’s back slammed against the door of his office, his hands fisting in his own hair, and he let out a sound of sheer pain and despondency before sliding down to the floor.

“Taka you bastard!” He growled to the empty office, tears pouring from his dark eyes unchecked. He pulled at his own hair, gasping for breath, feeling as if he were drowning. Hiroshi wished the floor would open and swallow him, pull him into a darkness where he could escape this waking nightmare. “Taka.” His voice was strangled as he wept, unable to hold the tears in and unwilling to try to.

“Time of death.” The voice rang in his mind again, the memory of the heart monitor flat lining. The frantic attempts to restart his heart, and the moment everyone finally knew there was no pulling the man back. Hiroshi wanted to scream right there, wanted to push the other doctor away and force life back into Taka’s body. There was nothing, nothing left to be done. It was as if Taka’s very soul had slipped from his body in that room, right through Hiroshi’s shaking fingers. 

“Oh God, oh God.” Hiroshi was hit with another layer of grief as the guilt set in. Could he have saved him if he had been clean? Had he killed Taka? Hiroshi let loose another sound of pain, heartbreak, and wordless despondency. When he finally pulled himself from the floor it was only to ransack his own desk, dumping a deep drawer to expose a hidden stash of hard liquor. He did not bother with a cup; he twisted the cap off and tilted the bottle to his lips. He tried to drown his pain, to drown the memory of that room, of the warm blood on his surgical gloves. Drown the memory of Taka’s pale face, his battered body on a surgical table, a respirator helping him breathe, the sound of the heart monitor flat lining.

End Flashback:

White light hit his closed eyes, pulling Hiroshi from the memories, and causing him to groan in pain. Someone yelled as his dark eyes slowly opened to try to process the world about him. Sirens, red light, blue light, yellow light, white light. . . A seat-belt dug into his shoulder and chest painfully, suspending him upside down in his driver’s seat. He could not see the steering wheel past his deflating air bag, but he could see his shattered windshield. Glass was everywhere, and there was smoke, and he squinted trying to determine if that was a large pole far too close to what was left of his windshield. His ears were weird, he heard yelling, but it was as if he was hearing it underwater. The smoke was catching the various lights, and legs were swiftly moving about outside the windows. That white light, a flashlight beam in the darkness, was on his face again. He groaned, managing to look at the face of a firefighter who was saying something he did not hear.

The next thing he was aware of was sparks raining about, and something creating a loud metal on metal sound. He closed his eyes, fading out to where he did not feel the pain or smell the smoke. All too soon however hands on him brought him back to the world of smoke, and lights, and firefighters. He could not follow the sequence of events, but somehow, he was cut free of his seat-belt and pulled from the car. He was carried swiftly away from the remains of a car, his car? There was fire, and so many lights it was dizzying. He felt he blinked, and his world had changed again. He was strapped to a gurney; he could not move his neck, but he felt a plastic collar about it. He seemed to be looking at the ceiling of an ambulance and judging by the occasional sway they were in motion. The light was all white here, no red, no blue, no yellow, just white. A medic leaned over his face, speaking but Hiroshi did not really hear him. Hiroshi shut his eyes again, embracing the darkness and willing it to take him away.

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	13. Finale and Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it, the conclusion.

Choices:  
By: Haruka S. Knight  
Chapter Thirteen:  
Finale and Epilogue :

Trigger Warnings:   
Mentions of Character death, drug abuse, and alcohol abuse.

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Suguru and Saki met Maiko in the study after breakfast. The Tenoh Matriarch gave the two a welcoming expression as Ichiro carefully served them all tea. Only once the tea had been served and Ichiru had moved to wait near the wall, did anyone speak.

“I’m afraid, Tenoh-sama, that my husband and I have come to an unexpected impasse.” Saki admitted, briefly shooting a slightly annoyed look toward Suguru.

“An impasse?” Maiko asked, mentally setting aside what she’d plan to say so she could hear their thoughts out. “An impasse regarding my grandchildren, I assume?”

“Yes, Tenoh-sama.” Saki used one hand to massage her temple as if she were trying to ward off a headache. “While the clearly intelligent, and acceptable choice for our daughter’s future would be Hiroshi.” Again, her eyes darted toward her husband. “A promising young doctor with a stable career and a bright future.” She stressed the word ‘doctor’ in a way that made clear what her main reasoning was. “My husband sees things differently.”

“You prefer Haruka?” Maiko asked, turning her eyes to Suguru who appeared to shift very minutely away from his wife. Maiko hid her smile behind the rim of her teacup, she remembered a few marital disagreements that once left her own husband hesitant to reopen an argument. It seemed some things were universal.

“Of your grandsons I prefer Haruka-san for our daughter, yes.” He confirmed this and Maiko’s gray eyes did not miss how sour Saki seemed over the idea. “Saki has entirely valid concerns regarding the dangers of his career field.” As he admitted this Saki seemed to relax just slightly. “However, Hiroshi is almost half a dozen years older, and he hasn’t seemed to really click with our Michiru.”

“Click?” Saki questioned his choice of words with a very unimpressed look. “How does one tell if they click, dear?”

“He doesn’t speak to her unless spoken to, and he has expressed no interest in spending any time with her.” Suguru shrugged as if helpless and gave Saki a beseeching look. “You must admit that Haruka-san has been very attentive, charming, and seems to have a great deal to talk with her about.”

“What does a race car driver have in common with a world-renowned violinist and artist?” Saki asked, her voice was almost unnaturally level. Maiko decided to lend Suguru a hand in this discussion at least.

“It so happens Haruka is a trained concert pianist.” Maiko informed them, drawing Saki’s attention back to her and receiving a grateful smile from Suguru. “While he does not tour, I can assure you he still plays excellently. We have a little tradition, the two of us, where Haruka composes a new piano piece for my birthday and for Christmas. They are lovely, perhaps I could persuade him to play for you later.”

“Where is Haruka-san?” Suguru asked, curiosity filling both his tone and expression. “He wasn’t at breakfast this morning.”

“As it so happens, that is what I wished to discuss with you this morning.” Maiko set her teacup gently on the table between them and regarded them with tired gray eyes. “Late last night we received a call to inform us Hiroshi was in an accident after leaving the hospital.” The Kaious’ shock was visible as they each looked stricken by the news. Maiko made a placating gesture with her hands, giving them a half-hearted smile as well. “Hiroshi will be fine, I assure you. Haruka left immediately to be with his brother once visitation is allowed. I know my grandson well enough to know he won’t wish for any visitors, however Haruka has always been Hiroshi’s little guardian shadow.”

“Don’t you mean angel?” Suguru quirked a brow at the chuckle this drew from Maiko.

“Certainly not, Haruka often goes to great lengths to watch over Hiroshi without letting Hiroshi know. There have been times Hiroshi has welcomed or even requested Haruka’s help, and other times Haruka has merely tailed Hiroshi.” She shook her head. “When they were young Hiroshi welcomed the times Haruka would follow him about. Hiroshi was once immensely proud of Haruka, he used to carry Haruka about the manner insisting that was his right as a big brother.”

“And you’re certain Hiroshi will recover?” Saki asked, genuine concern filling her voice.

“Yes.” Maiko did not dare touch her teacup, folding her hands in her lap instead to hide how they shook. “Doctor Mizuno called just after sunrise, she has taken over his care and assures me he is stable. She believes his recovery could take months however, and with that in mind I have re-evaluated my opinion on our arrangement.”

“This is hardly the time to. . .” Saki began to stumble out some sort of reassurance but stopped at the look Maiko gave her. It was not angry; it was more akin to the look a teacher might give a student for speaking out of turn.

“I can say with confidence that when such an emergency takes place in a family, it causes us to re-evaluate our priorities. Even before Hiroshi’s accident I had come to think that perhaps my grandchildren are not ready for such a serious step as marriage. While I of course believe they are both fine young adults, I think they need time to truly find their own way and really settle into themselves.”

“Are you saying we should break the agreement?” Suguru asked cautiously, receiving a side eyed look from his wife.

“I am.” Maiko favored him with a kind smile. “Over the course of your visit I’ve come to realize I want them to marry for love. I may have placed too much family responsibility on Hiroshi, and perhaps not enough on Haruka. I want them to find who and what makes them happy, life is too precious to waste on what only makes others happy.” She looked toward an old picture, one of a much happier and more complete Tenoh family, and her tone became wistful. “It is a rather outdated tradition, after all.”

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Haruka’s teal eyes watched Hiroshi’s chest rise and fall where he slept, though she was not sure this counted as sleep. Does it count as sleep when you pass out in the ambulance and fail to regain consciousness for hours on end? The officer who had met Haruka, and the family lawyer, when they arrived had made it very clear Hiroshi was lucky to be alive. At Haruka’s inquiry the officer had described the fate of Hiroshi’s car, which had ended up wrapped around a support beam in the warehouse district of all places. No one knew why he was there, but there had been reports of an erratic driver speeding about in a vehicle matching his luxury car. The car had lost control, flipped, and still slammed into the support beam with enough force to nearly bring that beam into the front passenger seat after knocking the engine out of place. By some miracle, and the wonder of finely engineered vehicles, the engine had jerked out of position diagonally. That small miracle meant the It had not entered the passenger compartment, had not crushed Hiroshi himself.

The vehicle was a complete loss, not that Haruka cared beyond what it could tell her about how lucky she was to still have a brother. The roof partly caved in, it had caught fire, all the windows were broken, first responders cut the driver’s side open to pull Hiroshi from the wreck. It was still technically his property, but Haruka signed the paperwork to send what was left to the scrap yard. Then she had left the rest to the family lawyer, seeking out Doctor Mizuno once she had time to speak. Hiroshi’s injuries would not kill him, but the list was still long. He had fractured both his left clavicle bone and wrist, they’d removed glass from various places, he had fractured one rib, would have a scar on his head where something had sliced his scalp open, had a minor concussion, and they’d had to close a severe bleed in his right leg after removing what was apparently part of the airbag inflator. 

Hiroshi was alive however: The rise and fall of his chest, and the sound of various monitors all confirmed this to Haruka. This was not the first time she had seen someone hospitalized after a crash; her team had nearly lost a man early last season. This was not the first time she had sat vigil over a family member either, she had spent as much time as she could with her father in his final year. Doctor Mizuno had assured her Hiroshi would physically recover from this. The family’s well-paid lawyer would handle the legal issue regarding reckless driving, and the issue out the drugs and alcohol confirmed by blood work to be in his system. And with Maiko’s grudging surrender, it was up to Haruka to deal with Hiroshi himself.

“Taka.” Hiroshi muttered fitfully as he tossed about, the monitors changing rhythm a bit, before everything settled back down.

Teal eyes glanced to the clock on the wall, that was the third time this hour Hiroshi had done that. Hiroshi had talked in his sleep for longer than Haruka had been alive, Yoshi had joked his son would make a terrible spy. Several times Hiroshi had gotten in trouble because Maiko had gone to yell at him, and in his sleep, he had exposed some secret that only made their Grandmother angrier. The name was familiar, and it echoed in Haruka’s mind. Who is Taka? Haruka kept turning that question in her mind, sitting in a plastic chair in his hospital room. Taka? Hiroshi normally muttered things in his sleep which were important to him in his waking life, so Taka was important. Doctor Mizuno had denied knowing anyone at the hospital by that name, but it was a large hospital. The monitors continued to beep, and Hiroshi continued to breathe.

‘Thank Kami for small favors.’ Haruka thought warily. ‘Thank you, Kami. I’ll try not to waste this chance.’ 

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The first thing Hiroshi noticed when he regained consciousness was the pain. It was basically like his whole world was pain. Hiroshi’s breathing was shallow, and he started to panic thinking maybe he was dying. A beeping sound pulled at his attention, and as it increased its pace the familiarity of it began to lend some grounding to his mind. Hiroshi clung to that sense of familiarity, the sound that assured him he was in a hospital. As his initial panic began to subside, he started to notice other things about himself and his surroundings. He could feel where an I.V. catheter entered his arm, and the disconcerting feeling of a cool liquid entering his veins and starting to circulate into his blood stream. Next, he realized he smelled that light chemical odor of disinfectants that permeated medical facilities. Eventually he managed to force his eyes open, slowly turning his head about to take in his surroundings. The hospital room did not surprise him, the quiet blonde sleeping awkwardly in a plastic chair did.

“Haru?” Hiroshi’s voice was weak and dry. He began to cough and yelped in pain as it caused his bruises and one of his ribs to burn. The sounds caused the blonde’s teal eyes to open, and she jolted to her feet as she saw Hiroshi coughing. He was vaguely aware of the fact that Haruka jabbed a call button attached to the bed. Not long after others rushed into the room, lights he had not noticed were dimmed came on full. Haruka moved back into the far corner, staying out of the way as medical personnel went about their tasks. Slowly the number of people in the room trickled down, until Doctor Mizuno stood over the side of Hiroshi’s bed, ensuring he did not choke on the cup of water he was now drinking.

“How are you feeling, Doctor Tenoh?” Doctor Mizuno asked this once he set aside the cup. Haruka seemed to take that casual seeming question as her cue to make her way to the other side of the bed. Hiroshi grimaced and rested his less injured arm across his stomach, leaning heavily on his propped-up bed.

“Like I need morphine.” Hiroshi responded, and noticed something in Mizuno’s face tightening.

“No morphine, no heavy narcotics.” She raised an eyebrow as Hiroshi’s expression soured more so at the thought alone. “Considering what came up on your toxicology I cannot in good conscience approve any of the stronger pain medications.”

“That’s ridiculous, as a Doctor I could order the medication myself.”

“Currently your license is under review, you won’t be ordering anything from anyone.” The older doctor narrowed her eyes at him, speaking in a very no-nonsense manner. “I understand you lost a patient on the operating table; we’ve all felt that loss, but this cannot be the way you handle it. Your family’s name is the only thing protecting you from normal consequences. Please, don’t waste that chance, Hiroshi-san. You are an intelligent young man; I’d like to see you live up to that intellect.”

“Some bedside manner.” Hiroshi muttered at the other doctor, she hitched one brow up.

“Would you like a Tylenol?” Her tone made clear the sarcasm in the comment, and Haruka stood in silent surprise. In her experience Hiroshi had never taken well to being verbally put in his place, but Doctor Mizuno had basically been Hiroshi’s mentor as he worked through medical school. Mizuno’s expression eased into a softer look, and her eyes moved to regard Haruka. “A little pain will not kill you, Hiro-kun.”

“So, I guess you’re here to tell Grandmother when I wake up?” Hiroshi asked Haruka once Doctor Mizuno had left the room, closing the door behind her.

“No, Grandma agreed to only handle the legal and career issues.” The blonde crossed her arms and watched her brother. “I talked her out of whatever she would have done when she heard about the drugs and alcohol in your system.”

“Why?” The question did not sound accusatory, just pained, and tired.

“Because you aren’t the only one who doesn’t want to bury their sibling.” Haruka kept most of her frustration from her voice, but some leaked through. “I won’t pretend to know what you’ve gone through, but I know it’s been extremely difficult for you.”

“You don’t know the half of it.” Hiroshi tried to growl, but it really did not fool either of them.

“So, tell me about it, maybe start with Taka.” Haruka suggested and Hiroshi’s eyes glazed over briefly. The blonde resisted her initial instinct to revoke the question. “Hiro, who’s Taka? You kept muttering his name while you were unconscious.”

“Sit down, Haru, I have a lot to tell you.” Hiroshi’s tone seemed to fill with surrender.

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It was midmorning when the Kaiou family driver pulled up to the Tenoh Estate. Everyone in the mansion was subdued considering recent events. The estate staff assisted the Kaiou’s driver with loading the family’s belongings. Saki and Suguru took the time to speak with Maiko, making arrangements to join her for the next holiday. With or without a marriage, they still felt it was time to rebuild the once strong ties between the families.

Haruka’s shoulders sagged a bit with exhaustion as she walked quietly down the hall, pausing near a certain door, and hearing soft violin music. Haruka faced the door properly, raised her hand and hesitated, before tapping so lightly she was convinced she would not be heard. She was proven wrong when the door opened, and Michiru greeted her quietly. Haruka choked on any words she’d planned to say, and Michiru gestured for her to enter. Once she was inside and the door was shut behind them Haruka pulled Michiru into a tight hug. Michiru moved her arms around the blonde and squeezed her in as reassuring a manner as she could. They stayed that way for long, silent, moments. Haruka shut her teal eyes, and took a deep breath of Michiru’s perfume, while listening to the soft music playing from Michiru’s phone.

“How is Hiroshi?” Michiru asked once Haruka seemed more relaxed.

“He has a lot of healing to do, and not all of it physical.” Haruka sighed heavily and buried her face in Michiru’s hair. The violin player made an inquisitive sound and the blonde paused to think over her next words before she spoke them. “Hiroshi lost someone very close to him, they died on an operating table in front of him.”

“Haruka?” The blonde made a sound somewhat like a hum, her breath warming Michiru’s skin as she exhaled. Michiru moved one hand to play through Haruka’s short, messy locks. “Are you okay?”

“I wasn’t in an accident.” The blonde mumbled and felt as much as heard the violinist sigh. After a few beats the blonde spoke again. “I will be okay, but not right now.”

“I know I’m leaving today, however I’m only a phone call away.” Michiru whispered then kissed her cheek, squeezing her just a bit tighter.

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When all was said and done, the powers that be decided Hiroshi would retain his medical license under the condition he attend an inpatient rehabilitation of his choosing. In the weeks he stayed in the hospital Haruka helped him investigate and vet several programs. It did not take long for Hiroshi to notice and question that each program Haruka added to their list of possibilities included comprehensive mental health services. The injured doctor was surprised when the blonde gave a very well thought out, researched, explanation for why she thought the mental health services might in fact be more important than the addiction rehabilitation alone. When the blonde finished speaking Hiroshi had stared blankly for long enough to cause his sister to fidget.

“I’m not calling you crazy, but I think Grandma and I would benefit from mental health care as well.” Haruka added when she could no longer take his silence.

“I’m proud of you.” Hiroshi said this and she looked about as if someone else had entered the hospital room. “I’m serious Haruka, I’m proud of you. That was a very scientifically based argument, I was expecting something more of a gut feeling explanation.”

“I was expecting you to be offended.”

“I was, before the explanation.” He handed the tablet displaying the current recommendation back to her. “I kind of like this place, the trees look peaceful.”

“They have art therapy too.” Haruka pointed out and her brother sighed.

“I gave that up years ago.” He muttered.

“First, that’s a lie, you only cut back. Second, maybe you shouldn’t have.” She waved the tablet a bit as she spoke. “Running was always how I handled things, but you used your art.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Weeks later Haruka herself drove Hiroshi to the rehab facility. He was still fighting himself internally about the entire thing, occasionally making passive aggressive comments at his sister that she let roll off her shoulders without comment. Every time Hiroshi started to feel truly belligerent, he mentally reminded himself this was a condition of both keeping his medical license, and per a judge, avoiding prison time. He was not doing this for Haruka, or Maiko, he was doing this for himself and for Taka. Hiroshi still firmly believed if he hadn’t been on so much meth, he could have saved him. That guilt ate at him, roiled in his gut, and haunted his dreams. When Haruka’s gold convertible pulled to a stop in front of the facility a few staff members were already waiting with a wheelchair.

“If you need anything, Hiro, just call.” Haruka told him, as she handed his small overnight back to a staff member. What he could bring was extremely limited, something Hiroshi was bitter about but understood as a medical practitioner. He shifted his eyes toward the blonde, internally he was of two minds at that moment. One side of Hiroshi wanted to thank his sister, but another side that he was used to entertaining wanted to snap at her. Haruka seemed to sense that, shoving her hands in her pants’ pockets, and doing her best to look casual. “You have my number, no pressure.”

“Ready, Doctor Tenoh?” The woman who had introduced herself as the intake specialist offered him a smile and he silently nodded. Haruka watched them wheel him in, before turning back to her car. Considering how troubled their relationship as siblings had been for years, Haruka considered it a win that he had not snapped at her.

“One step at a time.” The blonde commented, easing down to sit in her leather driver’s seat. Teal eyes took one last look at the facility, from the outside it could be mistaken for a small resort. Appearances were particularly important to Hiroshi; they always had been. The calm atmosphere, somehow made Haruka think more of the inner turmoil her brother was in.

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Four years later:

Haruka Tenoh was finally able to step down from the first-place podium, hat still dripping with the champagne her pit crew had happily taken part in spraying at the driver. Camera flashes had slowed down but were still present as the blonde handed off her first-place trophy and gave a satisfied smile to the photographers. The Japanese driver ensured she caught both the second and third place drivers to congratulate them, exchanging back slapping hugs and strong handshakes. The blonde waded through the crowd slowly after that, accepting more handshakes, hugs from her crew, congratulations shouted over the noise. TV cameras followed each of the top drivers, broadcasting their actions to home viewers. Teal eyes scanned for one distinctive figure however, one person she always wanted to see.

“Haruka!” A shout from one of the crewmen brought her eyes right and standing beside him was an elegant young Japanese woman. Michiru smiled playfully, the hat and jacket bearing Haruka’s car number clashing with her normal elegant style. Haruka reached her side and the violinist eagerly pulled her into a tight embrace, neither caring how many camera’s trained on them at that moment.

“I’ll get champagne all over you.” Haruka protested but Michiru only giggled in her ear.

“Hush.” Michiru admonished, humming happily when the blonde gave in and wrapped her arms about the shorter woman’s waist. Both their hats ended up knocked off as they exchanged a loving kiss. Blue and teal eyes locked when they parted the kiss but kept their tight embrace. Camera flashes glinted off the rings on Michiru’s left hand as she played a bit with Haruka’s short hair. “Congratulations, my love.”

Haruka’s smile turned soft, as did Michiru’s, as they stood amid the post-race chaos. Someone found more champagne, breaking the moment by dousing the happy couple. They laughed as they broke their embrace to try to shake off some of the bubbly alcohol. The sports page article about the race results would feature multiple images of the two, embracing, smiling indulgently for the cameras, Haruka lifting Michiru’s hand to lay a gentle kiss above the engagement and wedding rings her wife wore.

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Tokyo in November was cold, but it hadn’t yet snowed. Hiroshi Tenoh thanked the delivery man as he signed for the package, grateful once the transaction was done and he could close the door of his penthouse. He set what he knew were art supplies aside, unmuted the TV and moved to reclaim his coffee as the Entertainment News finally came to the story he had been waiting for.

“NASCAR topped our gossip columns this week with Champion Racer Haruka Tenoh taking the Sprint Cup by storm. The Japanese National arrived on the scene less than five years ago, having started his early career at just fourteen years old in professional motorcycle racing. His rookie NASCAR season he was a whopping 20 years old and not heavily favored. Since then, he has become a favorite of fans and sponsors alike. This year the young driver took home the cup a fifth time, but that wasn’t the most important news to his fans the world over.” The female reporter smiled toward the camera and was seconds later replaced by video from the track after the trophies had been handed out. The camera view captured Haruka striding over to Michiru and stayed on the two as they shared a kiss and a clearly loving embrace. The image was paused and zoomed onto Michiru’s rings as the reporter’s voice came back. “That’s right ladies, Haruka Tenoh is off the market. Sources close to the racer have confirmed that the handsome racer and famous Violinist and Painter Michiru Kaiou tied the knot in a private ceremony approximately two months ago.”

“They finally caught you, Haru.” Hiroshi chuckled as the reporter continued a strangely upbeat lament about how the two avoided paparazzi and media attention. Hiroshi knew the answers to that, he had been present as Haruka’s best man after all. He did not begrudge his sister her happiness, though sometimes it did bring twinges of longing that felt as if they struck his very soul. He had come to terms, with help from his therapist, with the fact that Taka’s death was not his fault. Still, accepting that he was not to blame did not stop him from missing the man. He doubted he would ever not miss the man, but he was told that too was natural.

On an art desk, in the best lit corner of the room, sat a page of his graphic novel series. It was not the same series he’d created in high school, though that one had sold to an American Comic Company and been well received. No, the work on his art desk was a newer series, an anti-hero themed series. A dark fiction about the Tokyo underworld, inspired by real events but with almost all names and details changed. He was careful not to use the real likeness of anyone, save one person. The protagonist, Taka, a young delinquent who grew up to control a corner of the Tokyo drug trade. The detail most did not expect regarding the gang leader in the graphic novel, however, was the number of families he helped with the money generated from his illegal activities. In a rare interview Hiroshi was asked if the character of Taka had been inspired by such fictitious characters and legends as Robin Hood. The doctor turned illustrator had only said no with a quiet smile.

It had been risky to keep Taka’s memory alive in such a way, but Hiroshi felt there were things about the man that deserved to be seen and known. Taka had been rough, violent toward anyone he deemed deserved it, but there were other sides to him as well. Hiroshi, for his part, had only ever respected the laws he agreed with. He was working on that now, working on accepting that the best of intentions or the most righteous reasoning did not necessarily excuse things he had long accepted. It was amusing to him how many people assumed that Hiroshi, with his wealthy upbringing, would be pro-establishment. If only they knew the thoughts the man kept in his head. Still, he had no intent of showing that side of his mind in anything more than his graphic novels, and the occasional argument with Haruka. They were siblings, it was their duty to occasionally challenge each other’s thoughts and stances on things.

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Mid-November found Ichiro opening the door to welcome Haruka and Michiru back to the estate. The butler directed another servant to take the couple’s bags to Haruka’s room, as they moved to the lounge where they could hear familiar voices through the open door. Inside the room they found Maiko, Hiroshi, Suguru, Saki, Ami, and Doctor Mizuno. Suguru’s keen blue eyes were the first to spot the two, and the man smiled widely.

“It seems my daughter and her wife have finally arrived.” His cheerful voice called everyone’s attention to the pair. Haruka was still getting used to Suguru and Saki knowing she was not male, though she’d felt it was important they know before Michiru and herself married.

“Did you bring that insanely large trophy with you?” Hiroshi asked as he came to Haruka’s side and slapped her shoulder.

“No, the trophy on TV doesn’t actually go home with any driver.” The blonde laughed as she turned to her brother. “What about you? I heard your old graphic novel won some award in America?”

“The Eisner Award.” Michiru corrected her wife, smiling at her brother-in-law. “Congratulations, Hiroshi.”

“It was nice, though I didn’t know I was even in the running. It’s an American comic award, however since I sold it to Dark Horse for printing it counted as an American Graphic Novel in it’s first run.” Hiroshi rubbed at his left shoulder, though he didn’t seem aware he was doing so.

“Cold weather?” Haruka asked quietly, as other conversations distracted the occupants of the room. Hiroshi gave a small nod.

“I feel like an old man, I know the weather well change when my clavicle and my shoulder doesn’t want to work.” He sighed and sort of wiggled his head, causing his sister to smile at the slightly silly motion. “I’m thankful I only broke the non-dominate side back then.”

“Haruka Tenoh!” Maiko’s voice snapped the attention of both younger Tenoh’s to where she had moved to stand from her favorite armchair. Her gray eyes fixed on both her Grandchildren. “First Hiroshi does not hug me, and now you do not even say hello?”

“Gomen, Grandma.” Haruka and Hiroshi said this in a unison that caused chuckles to fill the room. The siblings made their way over to her, each taking a moment to hug the Tenoh matriarch. It wasn’t a completely new thing, just something Maiko had not been as insistent on until relations between the three began to improve again. She took her seat once she was satisfied, but she did not take her eyes off the two.

“Now, what were you discussing about Hiroshi’s book?” She asked this and Hiroshi’s face displayed his utter confusion.

“You want to know more about that?” He asked, looking at Haruka who gave him a shrug to convey her own confusion.

“I want to see some of it and have a copy to put on your Father’s old bookshelf.” She corrected him with a sly smile. “Your Father would have been tickled.”

Haruka drifted away slowly, leaving the two in conversation. It was rare to find something they could talk to each other about, so the blonde was more than happy to leave her brother to the spotlight. The blonde came to Michiru’s side, wrapped an arm around her waist and smiled at her. Life was not perfect, Hiroshi still had bad days where he dealt with paranoia, guilt, cravings, depression, and anger. If you watched Maiko, you could see sometimes when she was holding back a harsh rebuff she would have previously said. Haruka silently feared losing either of them, while also frequently finding excuses to avoid calls and visits. Michiru was patient, helping her work through her own issues and calling Haruka on things as needed. Things were not perfect, but they had greatly improved for the Tenoh family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this story. I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> Happy holidays and fingers crossed the New Year might bring us some positive changes,


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